Oliver Okolo. The Rejects and a Yellow Guitar, 2022. Courtesy of OOA GALLERY
OOA GALLERY (Out of Africa Gallery) participates at ART MADRID
Artists: Megan Gabrielle Harris, Oliver Okolo, Rémy Samuz and Médéric Turay.
ART MADRID. Booth B5
The Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles
Madrid. From 22nd to 26th February,2023
OOA GALLERY (Out of Africa Gallery), based in Barcelona and London, will present at the 18th edition of the contemporary art fair Art Madrid a careful selection of works by four of its artists: Megan Gabrielle Harris, Oliver Okolo, Rémy Samuz and Médéric Turay.
MEGAN GABRIELLE HARRIS
2022 has been a stand out year for the California native, and soft life advocate. Off the back of a sold out debut booth at Art Miami Beach, and selling out her show in New York, in London and in Lagos ahead of its opening, Megan Gabrielle Harris is fast becoming one of the most in demand contemporary African-American artists with a rapidly growing waiting list of esteemed international collectors and art patrons.
Megan is a multi-disciplinary artist specialising in afro-surrealism and escapism. Currently based in New York City, where she lives and works, and of Nigerian ancestry, her work is influenced and inspired by travel, surreal landscapes, and nature. Her sublime portraits typically feature women of colour depicted as powerful, regal, and divine and often painted against a rich, vibrant backdrop.
Megan Gabrielle Harris. Northshore, 2023. Courtesy of OOA GALLERY
OLIVER OKOLO
Oliver Okolo invents the world on the canvas, the world that he wants to inhabit. Fascinated with telling stories through his art, Okolo pays special attention to the eyes and expressions of his sitters, stating that he sees his subject’s eyes as “a gateway to the truth that lies behind the soul".
Working from photographs, which he shoots with his Nikon, or culls from archival and internet sources, Okolo filters his subjects through allegorical settings and poses from the past to express his societal concerns and hopefully impact some change. Calling his fusion of the past, present and future “Classical Contemporalism,” this talented, 30-year-old artist is challenging the Old Masters to be relevant again, and in the process —ironically— he may one day be hanging on the walls of revered museums, right next to them.
Oliver Okolo. Orange isn’t Blue, 2022. Courtesy of OOA GALLERY
RÉMY SAMUZ
Rémy SAMUZ quickly perfected a way of weaving wire that allowed him to create works, sometimes quite large, in which he combines rigidity and lightness with unusual dexterity. But there is also the sense of volume, transparencies and the expressions of the faces as, without exception, the artist only creates human figures.The artist goes far beyond that apparent lightness, that "fun" that has made him famous. His language allows him to express himself on the problems of society with which humanity, and especially that which surrounds him, is confronted.
Inviting contemplation and reflection, Rémy’s work, in lightness and transparency, nonetheless sharply evokes the troubles of our time, but always with an optimistic perspective that reflects the artist’s way of seeing the world. His themes start from meditation, the necessary entry into oneself to achieve unity and sharing a common vision of things and beings in a constant desire to move the world forward.
Rémy Samuz. Le Penseur 2, 2023. Courtesy of OOA GALLERY
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MÉDÉRIC TURAY
An archetypal Afro-politan and bon vivant, Turay’s imposing abstract expressionist paintings belie narratives referenced by his international upbringing and experiences between Morocco, Ivory Coast and the United States, and represent his effort to distil the essence of the contemporary human experience in our transnational, post-colonial, global society.
Turay’s practice transcends racial, geographic and socio-political notions, whilst still rooted in his identity and heritage through the utility of cultural motifs, chiefly ancestral masks and spiritual symbols.
Médéric Turay. A meeting at Alkebulan, 2022. Courtesy of OOA GALLERY
OOA GALLERY (Out of Africa Gallery) was founded in 2011 and is located in the heart of Sitges, a stunning seaside resort, south of Barcelona, steeped in history and rich in culture. In the spirit of growth and exploration, it also has a presence in London, extending its reach, influence and brand, and contributing to its ambitious international agenda and programme.
OOA Gallery takes a keen interest in contemporary African art and works closely with a esteemed range of international artists, collectors, patrons, art fairs and museums, spanning across Europe, North America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The gallery provides a unique platform for emerging and established artists to express their respective narratives, values and experiences through their artistic prowess, and supports them to research, grow and flourish in their practice.
To better support the artists it represents, OOA GALLERY opens on March 1st in Olivella, Barcelona, a space dedicated to artistic residencies; an inspiring location in a natural verdant environment with full accomodation and high quality materials will host its artists in order to encourage creation and inter-cultural exchanges. Interviews with Catalan and Spanish art & culture journalists and meetings with international collectors based around Barcelona will complete this enriching experience.
OOA GALLERY(Out of Africa Gallery) BARCELONA
Carrer Nou, 1
08870 Sitges (Barcelona)
Spain