Lawson Oyekan was born to Nigerian parents in Lambeth, London, England in 1962. He grew up in Ibadan, Nigeria, first studying applied chemistry and then art at Ibadan Polytechnic, before returning to England in 1983, where he attended the Central School of Art (1985–88) and Royal College of Art (1988–90). Oyekan is best known for his sculptures that resemble vessels of various shapes, sizes and textures, symbolising the body and the natural world as receptacles of air, light, and life.
Lawson Oyekan was born to Nigerian parents (his father was a High Court judge) in Lambeth, London, England in 1962. He subsequently grew up in Ibadan, Nigeria, first studying applied chemistry and then art at Ibadan Polytechnic. Returning to England in 1983, he attended the Central School of Art (1985–88) and Royal College of Art (1988–90), where he won the Darwin Scholarship Award (1989). Oyekan began exploring ceramic as a child: ‘Like most inquisitive children drawn to the dynamic nature of water, I was fascinated with the physicality of the flowing river and its clay in my environment: the Ogbere River courses of Ibadan. During art school, I was allowed to place clay as my favorite medium […] I learned the traditional methods of working with clay, but I understand the physical nature of plastic clay as stiffer viscosity than that of water’ (Cross Lane Projects). Oyekan is best known for his ceramic installations as well as smaller pieces resembling vessels. A distinctive aspect of his ceramics is the inclusion of perforated walls that contribute to the richness and complexity of the piece by providing openings for air and light to pass through. Gestural markings on the surface also evoke calligraphic inscriptions inspired by both Yoruba and English poetry. In Oyekan’s own words, his work ‘explores the physical drama of earth’s complexity, the rhythms of the evolution of my own consciousness and the extraordinary challenge to open a platform of dialogue with the diverse identities that make modern Britain’ (Crafts Study Centre).
As noted by Barry Schwabsky, both Oyekan and the British-Nigerian painter, Chris Ofili, integrate Western and African aesthetics into their work. However, they do not attribute their personal style to ‘exotic’ origins (Schwabsky 2000). In particular, Oyekan's rhythmic treatment of forms, which appears distinctly African to Western eyes, is not related to African ceramics, as Oyekan explained in an interview with Pamela Johnson (Crafts 1994, p. 31). Instead, his interlocking angular and curved forms appear to be more influenced by Cubist painting and, indirectly, by African sculpture that informed Picasso and Braque. Nevertheless, echoes of Nigeria's natural world are present in his work, as some of his tall vessels are inspired by the extraordinary anthills of the savannah. These rough, hollow red clay vessels, which can be between six and eight feet tall, are more directly inspired by African indigenous art. As noted by Ken Johnson in the New York Times they ‘might be totems of phallic fertility; they also call to mind giant African termite mounds. […] But they are also sophisticatedly modern. […] There is also a formal tension between massiveness and delicacy. So what you have in Mr. Oyekan's sculpture is a compelling mix of the modern, the timeless, the local and the cosmic’ (Johnson 2003, p. 35). Oyekan frequently employs clay as a medium for investigating histories tied to the land, through excavating and manipulating materials specific to each site. Ore in Edy-Rose (MIMA) is made from clay extracted from the Nécropole Nationale de La Fontenelle, a military cemetery near Oyekan’s studio in the Vosges mountains, France. Oyekan collected waste earth from the site and mixed it with water from a nearby river to produce a reddish clay containing traces of metallic debris left behind after the area was a First World War battlefield.
Oyekan's art blends opposing elements, such as fragility and strength, openness and secrecy, light and darkness. This duality is exemplified by his Autonomous Resonator earthenware series, featuring raw, earthy abstract forms. At the same time, the light that perforates the internal spaces of the hollow sculptures ‘dances and changes giving these brutish forms a gentle language’ (Twomey 2006, p. 24). For Oyekan, the air that passes through the pierced surfaces is a continuation of his creative process. While he allows light to move through the sculpture, this light is not only revealing, but can also be painful, as suggested by the title of his series, Trial with Light (1993-1996), which included small works and large columnar vessels in stoneware, in either white or terracotta clays.
Oyekan received the Grand Prize Award in the 2001 Korean Biennale for his piece Healing Being from his Coming up for Air series (V&A collection). Regularly exhibiting since graduating, Oyekan has featured in group shows such as Shimmering Substance, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol (2002) and Mixed Belongings, Eight Contemporary African Makers, Craft Council Gallery, London (2005 and touring), as well as solo presentations. Recent exhibitions include 4: Lawson Oyekan, William Plumptre, Nicola Tassie & Gavin Turk, Cross Lane Projects, Kendal (2022) and Deep Horizons, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (2023). In the UK public domain his work is represented in the V&A collection, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, and Crafts Study Centre, Farnham. Oyekan is a Fellow of the Craft Potters Association.
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