Yusuf Durodola…Change agent in performance art

‘My art develops from my ability to infuse different art forms into my performance art, thus projecting issues that surround human existence. It also explores issues of environmental pollution, echo system, socio-political imbalance, festivities, culture and sensitisation. My practice seeks to engage and spur human minds to consciousness.‘

HE is a fine artist, he is a performance artist, he is a calligraphist, he is a graphic designer, he is an art event organiser. He is Yusuf Durodola, he is young, creative, vibrant, skillful and resourceful. After Jelili Atiku’s foray into performance art, a relatively new artistic genre in Nigeria, Durodola has gradually emerged as a force among performance artists. He is one of the few Nigerian artists who have adopted performance art as a mode of artistic expression. He is a change agent using performance art for social re-engineering.

Jack of all trades…

Of all his contemporaries, what stands Yusuf Durodola out is the measure of competences he possesses in every of artistic disciplines he practices. As a painter, his works commands qualitative value. As a designer, his designs are top-notch. As an organiser, his dynamic approach to the organisation of October Rain 2018 (that year’s annual exhibition of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Lagos State Chapter), was a complete departure from the past. He effectively and dynamically re-wrote the idea of October Rain and the mileage it could cover in terms of artistic content and commercial success.

Performance art
Yusuf Durodola’s first performance art, titled ‘Political Speech’ was staged in 2015 at Akoka, Lagos. It was an impromptu, experimental piece that turned out to be successful. Between 2015 and 2020, he has staged over 25 performances, which he conceived. He has also been invited twice to enact his art at different events. In all of this, he has had some unforgettable highpoints in his career as a performance artist. In 2016, Jelili Atiku, Nigeria’s first international performance artist was arrested by the police at his Ejigbo base while preparing to stage a performance art. He was illegally detained and brutalised. The case was shrouded in mystery as it also involved the Ejigbo royal family (Atiku himself is from a ruling house in Ejigbo, Lagos). As the art community rose in protest held at the National Theatre, Lagos, Durodola enacted a performance art titled ‘Deliver us from Evil.’ The performance added authenticity to the agitation. Jelili Atiku was released a few days after.

Durodola’s artistic blister is conceived through different levels of processes ranging from meditations to revelations and dreams. Only recently, October 22, 2020, he enacted a performance at Adeyinka Osinjo Junction, Akoka, Lagos. Titled ‘Ogbon Ologbon,’ literally translated as When my Brain Becomes Yours and Yours Become Mine, the inspiration came from a dream. Durodola said he had the dream in March, 2020 and saw big trees tumbling over one another like torrents of rain from the sky. People ran helter-skelter to no specific direction. When Durodola woke up, he couldn’t comprehend the meaning of the dream. So, he ran to his sketch pad to document the dream scenario. He later developed the dream into a performance art. He confessed that he never understood the dream until the Lekki Toll Gate protest that spiraled into full blown crises that saw many youths and policemen lose their lives while properties worth millions of naira were either destroyed or looted.  He said, “With the actions taken by the government against the protesters, I can now understand the dream better. It was a warning against an action handled with levity. This is war among the youths, hoodlums, government, political godfathers and silent foreign interests. The dream is deep. It’s a sign of revolution.”

There was another performance titled ‘Atupa.’ It is a motivational performance for young heroes and all good minds that stand for an improved Nigeria. It was created and performed in October, 2020. Atupa is a Yoruba word for lamp. It represents illumination in the performance, which strives at upholding humanity against acts of wickedness. Durodola insisted, “Souls are lights that illuminate our world. We are the souls endowed with wisdom and can change this universe for good. The dark side of our souls engenders evil, the lamp in us must illuminate the dark side so we can all enjoy peace of mind.”

Core art practice

AS an artist, Yusuf Durodola produces paintings, apart from carrying out graphic work for various clients. To this end, he hardly had a breathing space for leisure. He works round the clock and can be fitted into the shoes of a typical artist whose studio serves as his home. Although he is a family man who takes family issues seriously, yet he spends more time in the studio than at home.

Durodola has taken part in more than 40 group exhibitions including those organied by his professional association, the Society of Nigerian Artists. He has also staged two solo exhibitions. Works for the first solo show were produced during an art Residency programme, which he underwent at the Vernacular Art Laboratory Workstation, Iwaya, Lagos. Titled ‘Navigation,’ it was held in November, 2018. The second solo show titled ‘Priceless’ was staged at the famous Nike Art Gallery, Lekki, Lagos in September, 2019. The two solo shows were very successful especially based on the quality of works on display.

 One of Durodola’s priceless piece titled ‘Who is in the Garden?’ belongs to what he calls the Photo Frame Series. The work is an infusion of abstract calligraphy and portraiture painting on canvas. It measures 150cm x 150cm, and was featured in the annual exhibition by the Society of Nigerian Artists (Lagos State Chapter) called October Rain and themed Resilience.

Artist’s statement
As a multidisciplinary artist, Yusuf Durodola has this to say: “My art develops from my ability to infuse different art forms into my performance art, thus projecting issues that surround human existence. It also explores issues of environmental pollution, echo system, socio-political imbalance, festivities, culture and sensitisation. My practice seeks to engage and spur human minds to consciousness.  To achieve this, I employ African symbols and draw inspiration from Yoruba cosmology (language, philosophy, adages, oral tradition, and moral expression). These include the culture of my immediate environment, which I oftentimes project through different art forms.

Background/training/other activities

YUSUF Durodola’s creative journey started at the age of five when his pattern construction was harnessed by his biological father who is a fashion designer. Durodola was encouraged by his brother to learn graphics at the age of eight. In pursuit of calligraphic skill, he attended an Islamic institution. He later obtained a Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) from the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, Federal College of Education (Technical) Akoka, Lagos. He majored in Painting and Graphics. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts) from the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos.

Lagos-based, the prolific painter, graphic designer, art instructor, art administrator, calligrapher, experimentalist, and video/performance artist has participated in workshops, seminars, solo and group performances. His works are displayed in local and international private spaces and galleries. He belongs to many art organisations, and has chaired and served as a resource person, moderator and facilitator for many art shows. He has also served as a creative director for many art projects. He is a Guinness World Record Achiever (Largest Painting by Number) for a group called Ecole de dessin, Lagos, Nigeria. He has several awards to his credit.

Yusuf Durodola is a change agent who employs performance art (among other genres) to send his pristine messages to the world.