If Hives Could Dance in Colours doesn’t shout; it whispers. It invites us to reflect, absorb the unspoken emotions, and understand the layers beneath the surface. It’s a dialogue between the artworks and us, where silence speaks louder than words.
By Michael Kolawole
“You see things. You keep quiet about them, and you understand” — Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)
To many Nigerians, African net sponges are meant for mundane uses like bathing and dishwashing. But for the Nigerian artist, Kingsley Ayogu, they serve as pieces of artwork, inviting deeper reflection on love, memory, and the transience of life. Poetically titled If Hives Could Dance in Colours, the exhibition, curated by Princess Ayoola at the Soto Gallery in Ikoyi, offers an intriguing blend of chaos and refinement. The carefully curated installations display Ayogu’s mastery of mixing different materials to create engaging art.
Walking into the exhibition hall, we are immediately welcomed by a collection of vibrant textures and hues of African net sponges, creating a space where the ordinary evolves into an entrancing dance of colours and contemplating materials. The collection is meticulously arranged, with layers and juxtapositions of netted fabrics and oil paintings on canvas, inviting us into a dialogue between the mundane and the excitingly creative.
Colourfully sewn and knitted netting fabrics served as curtains that separated the lobby from the main gallery. Moving from the tiny space between the curtains, which is called The Hive Experience, makes us part of the installations. As we look through the curtains, either from the lobby or from the main gallery, we see other visitors, like characters in a shadow show, chattering and reflecting on the displayed artworks.
Many of the installed artworks explore themes of memory, human connection, and the passage of time through their innovative use of oil and net fabrics. Some tackle these themes on a grand, communal scale, while others invite us to focus on the personal and everyday, subtly urging us to find meaning in the small, often overlooked moments of life. These works offer a rich, textured commentary on the human experience, capturing the tension between permanence and impermanence, the individual and the collective.
The artworks are primarily characterised by their use of net fabrics—an unexpected yet brilliantly chosen medium for Kingsley Ayogu, who is renowned for his hyper-realist paintings. These fabrics are layered in a patchwork of colours, with each piece reflecting the intricate structure of hives, hinting at the complex and often overlooked beauty of the natural world. On the surface, the exhibition may seem like a departure from Ayogu’s hyper-realism, but if one looks beyond the vibrant quilting and patchwork, they are drawn into the soul of the images hidden behind the netting.
In similarity to his previous exhibition titled Black Icons In the White House (2023), “Fading Faces_Proph Abound” (2020–2024: oil and sponge, 158 x 168 cm), showcases two figures standing against a familiar setting, perhaps representing a political or historical moment. The layers of mesh and vibrant colours create a sense of movement and fading identity, as if the figures are slowly disappearing or blending into their surroundings.
The piece seems to comment on the transient nature of power and identity. Its layered, semi-transparent textures evoke a sense of history slipping away or being reinterpreted through different lenses. The American flag in the background adds a political dimension, suggesting themes of leadership, legacy, and the passing of time.Flowers are often placed by the windows but do the windows see the flowers?
Another exhibition in If Hives Could Dance in Colours, “If Windows Could See The Flowers” (2024: oil and sponge, 122 x 155 cm), is more abstract, relying on blocks of colour and texture to arouse feelings. An eye appears to peek from behind brown netting fabrics in the top left corner of the artwork, beneath which are windows and flowers.
The oil painting of windows, combined with the use of plastic flowers and the overlay of multicoloured net fabrics, creates a tactile quality, inviting the viewer to reach out and feel the layers of material. The vertical orientation of the piece suggests growth or an upward reach, much like flowers seeking light.
The colours seem to transition between warm and cool tones, creating a dynamic interplay of moods. Looking at the artwork, some salient questions linger in one’s mind: Do the windows see the flowers? Are the flowers invisible to the vast extent of the windows? Carefully examining the piece, it seems the flowers and windows could see themselves. The abstract forms and colours resist a literal interpretation. However, it invites us to see the ‘eye’, ‘window’ and ‘flowers’ in our own way.
Though artists have blood running in their veins, they can’t be as red as blood. If they do, that would be surreal. Even if they’re as red as blood, what does it mean?
Dominated by bold reds and oranges, with patches of cooler hues providing contrast, “If The Painter Was as Red as Blood” (2022–2024: oil and sponge, 164 x 186 cm) seems to metaphorically explore the artist’s role in the creative process. It may reference the emotional intensity of creation or the inherent risks involved in producing art.
The figures in the piece, though partially concealed, appear to be engaged in an active scene—perhaps a social or communal event, such as exploring an art exhibition. This self-referential element adds a unique layer to the composition, inviting viewers to reflect on the artist’s own experience within the world of art.
The layering of textures in this piece, as also seen in other If Hives Could Dance in Colours pieces, suggests a complexity, as though the artist is peeling back the layers of a story or identity for us to engage with. The red, almost blood-like strokes that dominate the canvas seem to pulse with life, passion, and energy, while the layers of mesh overlaying the scene obscure some details, leaving parts of the narrative open to interpretation.
At a monumental size of 396 cm x 518 cm, “Collective Consciousness” (2020-2024) hung above a staircase, is both physically and conceptually vast. The title hints at a communal experience or a shared emotional or intellectual space, yet the chaotic layering of hues suggests a fragmented sense of unity. The canvas is a patchwork of reds, oranges, purples, and earthy tones that seem to represent a spectrum of human emotions. The colours bleed into one another, creating a collective sense of memory, experience, and perhaps, both suffering and joy.
Faint outlines of figures and architectural shapes emerge from beneath the layers of paint, like ghostly imprints of past moments or memories. These barely perceptible forms reinforce the theme of shared consciousness—individual stories melding into a broader narrative. Though obscured, the figures suggest a human presence within this collective space, each person contributing their own story to the larger, interconnected experience.
Ayogu’s decision to combine oil with net fabrics on If Hives Could Dance in Colours creates an interesting tension between permanence and impermanence. While oil is traditionally seen as a durable medium, the netting fabrics, with their porous, ephemeral quality, suggest something more transient. This juxtaposition may be symbolic of the fleeting yet impactful nature of human connections and shared experiences—some aspects linger, while others fade away, but all contribute to the fabric of our collective consciousness.
In contrast to “Collective Consciousness”, “Supermarket Flowers” (2020–2024: oil and sponge, 152 cm x 155 cm) is a more intimate piece. The title evokes a sense of the mundane, the familiar. Yet, the vibrancy of the colour palette and the obscured, pensive figures suggest something more profound. The artwork challenges us to reconsider the ordinary as extraordinary and to find beauty in overlooked details of life. The juxtaposition of the title’s reference to something as commonplace as supermarket flowers with the complex, layered composition implies a deeper commentary on consumerism, memory, and fleeting beauty.
The composition in “Supermarket Flowers” is dominated by shades of red, blue, purple, and orange. These colours, while bold and bright, are softened by the netting method, creating a dreamlike quality that feels both familiar and distant. Unlike the larger, more chaotic “Collective Consciousness”, “Supermarket Flowers” feels more structured, with clearer figures and objects emerging from the canvas.
The central figures appear to be engaged in a mundane, everyday activity, possibly in a marketplace or public space. Yet the use of vibrant colours and the abstract layering elevate this scene, transforming it into something more significant—a moment of human connection, perhaps, or a colouration on the passage of time.
One of the most striking aspects of If Hives Could Dance in Colours is the apparent texturing achieved through hidden faces behind the netting fabrics technique. The netting not only adds depth to the paintings but also creates an effect that mimics the porous nature of human thought and emotion—constantly absorbing and reflecting external stimuli. The hive texture of the netting gives the painting a tactile dimension as if inviting us to put our faces into the artwork, reach out and touch the surface, to feel the weight of collective experiences embedded within.
Throughout the exhibition, there is a strong sense of organic flow and rhythm. The use of netting, with its delicate and airy texture, allows light to pass through. This creates a luminous effect that enhances the vibrancy of the colours. The fabrics, with their various degrees of opacity and texture, produce a strong visual and emotional interplay. With this, Ayogu captures the essence of a hive’s dance—a complex, coordinated movement that is both chaotic and harmonious.
The thematic exploration of hives, colour, and obscured images is not just a visual delight but also a commentary on the interconnectedness of all things. The hives, often seen as symbols of community and industry, are reimagined here as sites of beauty and artistic expression. The colours, far from being static, are alive with movement, echoing the ever-changing nature of life itself.
The exhibition is “in the service of the mind” rather than just pleasing the eyes. Ayogu seems to suggest that an artist can elevate an ordinary object to the status of art simply by choosing it, even when its literal details are shrouded or intentionally vague.
If Hives Could Dance in Colours doesn’t shout; it whispers. It invites us to reflect, absorb the unspoken emotions, and understand the layers beneath the surface. It’s a dialogue between the artworks and us, where silence speaks louder than words.
If Hives Could Dance in Colours is currently ongoing at the Soto Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Michael Kolawole is a screenwriter, playwright, poet, and cultural journalist/critic.