There’s something rugged about the sharp-edged physicality of Abiodun’s utilitarian works that somehow when observed for long enough, similar in thoughts to a Rothko painting, creates this interesting aesthetic appeal. It seems to follow, in kind, with the basic concept of Bauhaus combined with the ever-growing 21st-century morals of environmentalism.
Abiodun’s work intrinsically is centred around developing, working and reworking his methodology for creating furniture and functional objects derived from, what he calls, ‘solid waste management and utilisation of un-recycled glass and garnet waste’. When I talked to Abiodun about his work and I shared my opinions on this, I questioned him about the functionality of his ‘Translucent Glass in Ceramic and Garnet Waste’. (For the sake of convenience, let’s call it ‘Translucent Glass’.)
His other works simply named ‘Table’ and ‘Cracket Stool’ hold obvious functions. On the other hand, the functionality of ‘Translucent Glass’ seems less obvious.
The piece itself is a simple grey square, with glass waste floating in a sea of concrete. Set in the centre is a thick circle of glass which swirls with different hues of blue. The smooth and beautiful glass balances out the coarseness of the concrete in a satisfying contrast. According to the artist, when placed in a room with light shining behind the piece, the translucent glass can hold a person transfixed and aid in mindfulness by the sheer beauty of the swirling blue colours.
I believe the multifaceted nature of Abiodun’s is for everyone to enjoy. To me, his work has provoked a number of interesting questions relevant to today’s world, revolving around the use of waste as a means to generate resources, as well as the use of art as a means to propose solutions to global issues and promote individual mental health awareness.
Abiodun’s work is on display in Our Fragile Coexistence, a recent exhibition curated by Art Matters Now.
