The Life House Hosts Body Formation; An Exhibition of Paintings by Ola Balogun and Josh Nmesirionye

The Omenka Gallery of the Ben Enwonwu Foundation (BEF) and the BLOOM Gallery at The Life House presented the 'Body Formations', an exhibition of paintings by two of Nigeria's exciting and impressive contemporary artist, Ola Balogun and Josh Nmesirionye.

Middle: Ola Balogun, Profile, Acrylic on Canvas, 100x100cm, 2010, N195,000

Artists have always been fascinated with the human body. Indeed, the nude was central to the art of the ancient Greeks. We have subsequently been challenged and inspired by standards of beauty established by Greek statues of naked heroes and goddesses. Many artists including Gustave Courbet, Ben Enwonwu, Yusuf Grillo, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse have used nudes not only to create images of beauty but also to explore ideas and emotions. In this superb collection of recent paintings, Ola Balogun and Josh Nmesirionye explore the complexity and intricacy of the body.

A selection of the paintings on display

L-R: Josh Nmesirionye, Musing II, Oil on Canvas, 120x90cm, 2011, N145,000; Undisclosed Desires, Oil on Canvas, 100x80cm, 2010, N145,000; Undisclosed Desires II, Oil on Canvas, 100x80cm, 2010, N145,000  

Top L-R: Josh Nmesirionye, Musing, Oil on Canvas, 100x80cm, 2010, N195,000; Ola Balogun, Reclining Figure, Acrylic on Canvas, 80x100cm, 2010, N170,000; Seated Woman, Acrylic on Canvas, 75x70cm, 2011, NFS.
Bottom L-R: Ola Balogun, Seated Woman II, Acrylic on Canvas, 100x100cm, 2010, N195,000; Dualogue, Acrylic on Canvas, 80x80cm, 2011, N170,000; Manhood, Acrylic on Canvas, 100x80cm, 2011, N90,000 

Ola Balogun (b. 1972) graduated from Auchi Polytechnic (1991) with a HND in Painting. Ola has exhibited extensively in Nigeria, South Africa, Europe and the United States. He is the public relations officer of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Lagos State Chapter. Working in acrylic, artworks using the striking and surprisingly effective combinations of blocks of bold solid colour applied using a broad cross hatching technique and minimal application of detail in his paintings.

Joshua Nmesirionye (b. 1968) graduated from Auchi Polytechnic (1998) with a HND in Painting. Joshua has exhibited extensively in Nigeria. He is a full-time studio-artist and is inspired by impressionist masters like Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro. Nmesirionye accentuates his figures with chalk and pastels and adds some mystery to his textured canvases with the heads of his figures beyond the picture plane leaving plenty to the imagination.