WHO IS VILLAGER?
VILLAGER (b. Abdul Rasheed Adekunle Adaranijo Esuwapelumi in Lagos, Nigeria) is a Baltimore-based transdisciplinary artist whose work exists to scrutinize, deconstruct, and redefine the existential and paradoxical question of what it means to be a “Contemporary African." Migrating from Lagos, Nigeria to the USA in 2013, VILLAGER's work reveres how the past is alive in the present, mindfully and intimately honoring the ancestors and their contributions that continue to inform and shape contemporary expressions and experiences. VILLAGER's paintings, sculptures, cyanotype prints, photographs, installations, audio-visual media, and performance art, exist through rituals of intimate ancestral reverence as a spiritual and energetic reconnection to the DIVINE within and around us. Their work echoes a re-examination of consciousness, existence, and divine potential grounded in Yorùbá knowledge systems, cultural and spiritual practices, philosophies, and traditions.
VILLAGER is formally trained as a Water Microbiologist and Environmental Researcher, receiving a B.S. in Environmental Chemistry at Towson University in 2020. Their life's work manifested in the physical during their Master's studies at UMBC studying Marine Estuary Environmental Science as a portal to reimagine and reconnect with their humanity and, that seed has blossomed into a creative language that embraces the time as the fruits of ancestral cyclicality to seek a greater purpose of existence. VILLAGER has also been selected in group exhibitions, Sou(l): Mostra de Arte Afro-Diaspórica, Artspace Vigidal, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, BLAQ SHEEP, Superchief Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA, AFROFUTURISM: 100 years after the Harlem Renaissance, Papermill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ, Holiday on Holliday: Baltimore’s Mosaic of Holiday Hope & Harmony, Baltimore City Hall, Baltimore, MD, B24 Artscape Exhibition, Riggs Gallery & Leidy Gallery (MICA), Baltimore, MD, to name a few. VILLAGER has also been commissioned for performances at THE ROUSE COMPANY FOUNDATION GALLERY, Creative Alliance, and Maryland Art Place.
In 2024, VILLAGER was selected for the B24 Artscape signature indoor exhibition that showcases the best artists from Baltimore City and the surrounding region. They are also scheduled for a solo exhibition in October 2024 entitled "ÀṢẸ: Embodying the Divine" at The Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, Baltimore, MD as part of the highly received "Emerge Baltimore" series. They are set to make their museum solo exhibition debut titled "IRIN AJO: The Journey" at the Eubie Blake Jazz and Cultural Center in January 2025. VILLAGER is also a 2024 recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council Grants for Artists, and the Free Fall Baltimore Grant.
VILLAGER currently lives and works in Baltimore, MD with their partner and collaborator, Kehinde Applewhite where we both manage THE VILLAGE! STUDIO - a community-oriented studio space rooted in holding space for community- through open mics, community conversations and dialogues, movie nights and discussions, artist talks, workshops, book clubs, and culinary experiences. They maintain and cultivate a thriving studio practice at the Historic Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower.
more about me :)
I am formally trained as a Water Microbiologist and Environmental Researcher, receiving a B.S. in Environmental Science with a concentration in Chemistry and a minor in Chemistry from Towson University in 2020. My practice began in January 2022 during my second semester of graduate studies at UMBC studying Marine Estuary Environmental Science. During this time, I was lost in myself, mentally fatigued, and extremely drained- It felt like I living in the shell of my former self. I understood that I needed an outlet to communicate my evolving understanding of my humanity so on January 19th of that year, I sat down for 6 hours and painted my first ever painting titled "caged vessel", encouraging myself to engage in self-exploration and self-expression along the way. 8 months later, I chose to step away from my Master's program at UMBC to seek greater purpose through and for my work, establish a long-lasting studio practice, and develop a universal dialogue through my work.
Truly, my art began as a way for me to EXIST in a world where I believed I was no longer. It granted me the opportunity to re-imagine my existence and begin to create the world I so much needed to exist within- that of the endless possibility of imagination, creativity, and humanity. My expressions of creativity continuously grant me the opportunity to reimagine my humanity and seek a greater purpose in existence. In the physical, my works are an extension of my body, mind, thoughts, and all aspects of my humanity. The deliberation & investigation of my purpose of existence which began when I was 15, is forever channeled in the present and evolves as I continue to develop this communication.
Currently, I am working on a series of paintings and site-specific installations titled ÀṢẸ: Embodying the Divine. This body of work is inspired by the Yorùbá philosophy of ÀṢẸ, using the polychronic concept of energy and vital life force as a cosmic declaration to embody the divine energies that catalyze our existence. Using the energetic likeness of family members, loved ones, and acquaintances, the afroabstracture portraits are an initiation into the divine, instructing us to explore their inner and outer worlds and re-imagine ourselves as sacred beings, ordained with the power (ÀṢẸ ) to manifest (pà àse) and redefine our existential conditions. It is a reminder that we are indeed divine force incarnate.
ÀṢẸ: Embodying the Divine will be on view in the Mezannine Gallery of the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower from October 10 to December 17, 2024. The exhibition is part of the third volume of the Emerge Baltimore exhibition series, which features local rising artists in the historic galleries of the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower. Please join us for the opening reception and performance on October 10, 2024 from 6PM - 8PM, sound guided intuitive painting workshop on October 26, 2024, from 1PM - 3 PM, and Artist Talk on November 2, 2024 from 1PM - 3PM,
