Drawing in graphite and pastel on paper, depicting a multi-coliured striped area, surrounded by a square of graphite, all enfoldeed within two pairs of black hands/feet in pastel.
In this piece Osi Audu explores the sensation of flight in dreams. The work is a reference to the Yoruba concept of ‘ori-ini’ (meaning ‘inner head’ in Yoruba dialect) where the head is the seat of destiny and location of each person’s private yet potent set of dreams. The life force ‘ase’ (pronounced ‘ash-ay’) is contained within all things. In Yoruba, it is believed that the head is the container of one’s ‘ase.’ For the potency of ‘ase’ to be channelled correctly rituals must be performed. The Gelede performances are part of the ceremonies to contain the ‘ase’ of women – which can be destructive if not well harnessed and very productive if exploited in the ritually controlled manner. The shape in black pastel around the outside of the painting, with stylised hands and feet, represents the figure of the dreamer. The dark rectangle of graphite symbolises the head whilst the multi-coloured striped area at the centre of the rectangle represents the experience and excitement of flight in the mind or ‘inner head’. The matt surface of the pastel refers to the unconscious, which absorbs all day-to-day experience whilst the graphite refers to the structure of the skull that protects each person’s inner world.
