For over 30 years, Raqib Bashorun @raqibbashorun has fashioned re-positioned and re-valued recycled found objects into thought provoking sculptural forms. On the one hand he creates simplified metal forms that show deep integrity of design and symbolism, while on the other hand, he sculpts complex patterned works which create a powerful ebb and flow of sculptural meaning and message.
‘’We are a nation that wastes everything: humans, lives, time, minds, words, energy, resources, food, money ,population, land, knowledge, culture, tradition, spirituality and more. I picked up some rotten wood somewhere and I rebuilt it, just like the country. Some things are not right, and we need to rebuild. We need to re-construct and that is what we do as artists; we break down forms and reconstruct and give them new meanings. We can’t stop trying.”
Raqib Bashorun’s art challenges us to confront what we waste and calls for transformation of materials, mindsets, and society itself. Through his work, he rebuilds and redefines, reminding us that just as we can reclaim discarded objects, we can also reclaim lost values and re-imagine a better future. As artists, creators, and citizens, we can not stop trying.
Quotation taken from 2016 catalogue for the “Evolving Currents” exhibition at the Wheatbaker, Lagos; co-curated by SMO & Omenka Gallery.
Article and works culled from SMO Art Facebook page 2024
iBAND Magazine 