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Lot Essay
Peju Alatise is a multidisciplinary artist working in a variety of media including painting, installation, film and sculpture. Often politically motivated, her ongoing themes investigate exploitative labour practices in Nigeria, human trafficking, women’s rights, migration, and biopolitical policies. Her practice frequently draws on her interests in spirituality, Yoruba cosmology and Nigerian traditions.
In this manner, Ipele III leans into ancient storytelling and crafts alternative social histories. Draped over the black canvas, this sculptural painted cloth bears the marks of years of Alatise’s own craftsmanship developing these narratives and traditions. The vibrant colours are layered with intricate painted detail, varying between floral, geometric, and abstract motifs.
In 2017, Alatise was selected for Nigeria’s debut pavilion at the Venice Biennale, where she showed Flying Girls, an installation of eight life-size sculptures of young women adorned with wings amidst a flurry of birds and leaves, dreaming of a brighter future. She later showed at the 17th Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2021. Alatise was awarded the prestigious FNB Art Prize in 2017. In 2018, she founded the Alter-Native Artists Initiative, an incubatory artist collective and residency for emerging artists. Alatise is a fellow at the National Museum of African Art, part of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. and her work is included in the permanent collection.
In this manner, Ipele III leans into ancient storytelling and crafts alternative social histories. Draped over the black canvas, this sculptural painted cloth bears the marks of years of Alatise’s own craftsmanship developing these narratives and traditions. The vibrant colours are layered with intricate painted detail, varying between floral, geometric, and abstract motifs.
In 2017, Alatise was selected for Nigeria’s debut pavilion at the Venice Biennale, where she showed Flying Girls, an installation of eight life-size sculptures of young women adorned with wings amidst a flurry of birds and leaves, dreaming of a brighter future. She later showed at the 17th Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2021. Alatise was awarded the prestigious FNB Art Prize in 2017. In 2018, she founded the Alter-Native Artists Initiative, an incubatory artist collective and residency for emerging artists. Alatise is a fellow at the National Museum of African Art, part of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. and her work is included in the permanent collection.