Oladélé Ajiboyé Bamgboyé

Oladélé Ajiboyé Bamgboyé (born 1963) is a Nigerian-born British artist and scientist known for his Unmasking series which innovated with early 3D technology in the 1990s.[1]

Ola Bamgboyé
Image of Ola Bamgboyé at documenta X
Interviewed at documenta X, 1997
Born
Oladélé Ajiboyé Bamgboyé

1963 (age 60–61)
Odo-Eku, Nigeria
Citizenship
  • British
Alma mater
Known for

A founding member of the Street Level Gallery in Glasgow and curator at the Cambridge Darkroom Gallery, Bamgboyé has been exhibiting internationally since the mid-1990s.[2] In 1997, he attended documenta X, where he won international acclaim for his work Paradigm Shift: African Stories.[3]

Currently, he is a civil servant and member of the UK Government Science & Engineering Profession.[4]

Early life and education

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Bamgboyé was born in Odo-Eku, Nigeria in 1963 as the second of seven children to Salome and Ezra Bamgboyé. In 1975, the family emigrated to Glasgow, Scotland. After 6 years in Scotland, the family moved back to Nigeria in 1981 while he remained in Scotland to continue his studies.[5]

In 1985, he received a Bachelors of Science in Chemical & Process Engineering (BSc) from the University of Strathclyde. He later attended the Slade School of Fine Art, graduating with a Master of Arts in Digital Media & Philosophy of Art in 1998.[2]

Bamgboyé was awarded three residencies: International Artist in Residence Awards at the Banff Centre[5] and ArtPace[6] in 1992 and 1999, respectively, and the Koninkrijk der Nederlanden Artist in Residence Scholarship from the V2_Lab and Witte de Wit in 2000.[7]

The Unmasking series

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The Queen Mother Head, Unmasking 3, 2001.

The Unmasking series was developed and exhibited in three parts and, as noted in the Unmasking-3 Framework, was "a logical development of the artist's general inquiry into the prevalent issues of cultural ethics, the role of a future art practice, and finally making sense of the artist's interest in the intersection of technology, culture, art, philosophy and politics".[8]

First conceptualised when Bamgboyé was at Slade in 1998,[9] it continued during his residency at ArtPace in 2000 and finally culminated in 2001 at Witte de With.[1] Utilising cutting edge technology for the era, Bamgboyé tested the boundaries of art ownership and commodification by scanning artefacts held in museums and notably the Queen Mother Head, a 16th-century bronze sculpture from Benin, Nigeria, held by the British Museum.[6]

He developed the series with scholars, computer programmers and scientists, publishing the Unmasking 3 Framework with coauthors David England and Ming Tai. Unmasking 3, as a research project and framework, was a joint collaboration with the Foundation for Creative Technology and V2_.[1]

As a lecturer at Bridge the Gap,[10] he focused on his interest in quantum physics and its potential applications in his Unmasking series, the influence of which can be seen in his Yokohama installation of Unmasking-3.[11]

 
Installation view of the UNMASKING 3- Release Point #1, Yokohama, Japan.

Exhibitions

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Solo exhibitions
Year Exhibition Gallery Location Ref.
1985 Photographs Glasgow School of Art Glasgow, Scotland [12]
1989 ANIMA MUNDI: Still Life in Britain The Stills Gallery Edinburgh, Scotland [13]
Maison de la Culture Parc Frontenac Montreal, Canada [14]
1992 Five Big Images Kiek In de Kok Tallinn, Estonia [12]
1995 Well Without End Künstlerhaus Bethanien Studio II Berlin, Germany [12]
1998 The Unmasking, Part I Slade College of Art UCL London, UK [9]
Movements Städtische Galerie Bremen Bremen, Germany [15]
Oladele Ajiboye Bamgboyé Gallery One, Culturgest Lisbon, Portugal [16]
1999 Unmasking Part 2 ArtPace San Antonio TX, USA [6]
2000 The Unmasking, Part II Thomas Erben Gallery New York NY, USA [17]
Strangers and Paradise Witte de With Rotterdam, Netherlands [18]
Videoworks Helsinki Art Museum Helsinki, Finland [12]
2001 Unmasking 3 Witte de With Rotterdam, Netherlands [19]
2002 The Hair or the Man (1994) and Blink (2001) Thomas Erben Gallery New York NY, USA [20]
Group exhibitions
Year Exhibition Gallery Location Ref.
1986 Nine Photographers at the Glasgow Print Studios Glasgow Print Studio Glasgow, Scotland [12]
1987 New Light in Scottish Photography The Stills Gallery Edinburgh, Scotland [12]
1991 The Problematics of Identity in Photography Dazibao Montreal, Canada [12]
1994 Whitechapel Open Whitechapel Gallery London, UK [12]
1995 Self-Evident Foto Institut Rotterdam, The Netherlands [12]
Ikon Gallery Birmingham, UK [12]
Sorak International Art Biennale Sorak International Art Biennale Sorak, South Korea [12]
1996 Prospect 96 Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, Germany [12]
In/Sight – African Photographers 1940 – Present The Guggenheim New York NY, USA [12]
1997 Die Anderen Modernen: Zeitgenossische Kunst aus Afrika, Asien und Lateinamerika Haus der Kulturen der Welt Berlin, Germany [12]
Alternating Currents – as part of "Trades Routes: History and Geography – Africus The 2nd Johannesburg Biennale Johannesburg, South Africa [21]
documenta X Fridericianum Kassel, Germany [22]
1998 Accrochage – Part II Thomas Erben Gallery New York NY, USA [23]
Transatlantico Centro Atlantico de Arte Moderno Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain [12]
Afromedi@rt Kunsthalle Krems Krems an der Donau, Austria [12]
Interference African Art Museum of Ifan Cheikh Anta Diop Dakar, Senegal [12]
DAK'ART 98Biennial of Contemporary African Art African Art Museum of Ifan Cheikh Anta Diop Dakar, Senegal [12]
1999 Summer Gallery Show Thomas Erben Gallery New York NY, USA [12]
Laboratorium Museum voor Fotografie Antwerp, Belgium [12]
2000 Intelligence – 1st Tate Triennial of Contemporary British Art Tate Britain London, UK [24]
Mirror – as part of "Voila – le Monde dans la Tete" Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris Paris, France [12]
Mission Finland Helsinki Art Museum Helsinki, Finland [12]
Bodies of Resistance Real Art Ways Hartford CT, USA [12]
Mostra Africana de Arte Contemporânea SESC Pompeia São Paulo, Brazil [25]
South Meets West Kunsthalle Bern Bern, Switzerland [26]
2001 The Short Century Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago IL, USA [27]
House of World Cultures Martin-Gropius-Bau Berlin, Germany [27]
Museum Villa Stuck Munich, Germany [27]
Animations MoMA PS1 Long Island City NY, USA [28]
Tirana Biennale 1 – Escape National Museum of Fine Arts Tirana, Albania [12]
Mega Wave: Towards a New Synthesis Yokohama International Triennale of Contemporary Art Yokohama, Japan [29]
Bridge the Gap CCA Center for Contemporary Art Kitakyushu Kita-Kyushu, Japan [30]
2002 The Short Century MoMA PS1 Long Island City NY, USA [31]
2003 Taipei Biennial Taipei Biennial Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China [16]
2016 Après Eden: The Walther Collection La Maison Rouge Paris, France [32]
2021 25 years Thomas Erben Gallery New York NY, USA [33]
2022 Shifting Dialogues Photography from The Walther Collection K21 Düsseldorf, Germany [34]
2023 Accrochage Thomas Erben Gallery New York NY, USA [35]

Publications

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  • Bamgboyé, Oladélé Ajiboyé (1 April 2000). Writings on Technology and Culture. Kunstinstituut Melly.
  • Bamgboyé, Oladélé Ajiboyé (15 December 2000). Before & Beyond. Center for Contemporary Art, CCA Kitakyushu Kitakyushu, Japan.
Collections and catalogues
Year Title Description ISBN
1989 Anima Mundi: Still Life in Britain Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography / National Gallery of Canada 978-0-88884-555-9
1993 Photofeis Scottish International Festival of Photography catalogue
1995 Prospect 96 at Frankfurter Kunstverein Exhibition catalogue 978-3-908162-18-6, 978-3-908162-20-9
Self Evident catalogue Ikon Gallery catalogue
Freedom An Amnesty International Glasgow Groups exhibition catalogue 978-1-873328-13-2
1996 In/Sight African Photographers, 1940 to the Present Solomon Guggenheim Museum exhibition catalogue 978-0-8109-6895-0, 978-0-89207-169-2
1997 Die Anderen Modernen Haus de Kulturen de Welt, Berlin exhibition catalogue 978-3-89466-194-6
Trade Routes: History + Geography Exhibition catalogue for 2nd Johannesburg Biennale 978-0-620-21522-0
Documenta X Short Guide, documenta und Museum Fredricianum 978-3-89322-938-3
Crossing Contemporary Art Museum, University of South Florida exhibition catalogue 978-1-889195-24-7
1999 Contemporary Photographers, 3rd edition - 978-1-55862-190-9
Dreams A Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo per l'Arte event catalogue for the Venice Biennal of Visual Arts 978-88-8210-155-8
2000 Mostra Africana de Arte Contemporânea Exhibition catalogue published by Associação Cultural Videobrasil
More Works about Buildings and Food Catalogue of internet livestream, Fundição de Oeiras, Hangar K7 978-972-98700-0-2
2001 ARCO 02 Ifema Feria de Madrid catalogues 978-84-8215-202-8, 978-84-8215-203-5, 978-84-8215-201-1
2002 Taipei Biennial – Great Theatre of the World Exhibition catalogue 978-957-01-2630-3
2003 Revisitar Canarias / The Canary Islands Revisited Collection by Government of Canary Islands 978-84-7947-329-7, 978-84-7947-325-9

Honours, awards and nominations

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Awarded the Richard Hough Prize for Photography (1992), Scotland.[5]

Awarded the Gulbenkian Foundation Grant (1993)[5]

Nominated for The Vincent van Gogh Biennial Award for Contemporary Art in Europe (2000)[36]

Reviews and news

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Oladélé Ajiboyé Bamgboyé (review), Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art[9]

Interview with Oladélé A. Bamgboyé, Journal of Contemporary African Art[37]

ART IN REVIEW; Oladele Bamgboye, NY Times[24]

Oladélé Bamgboyé, The Unmasking, Part II and Earlier Photoworks, Time Out New York[38]

For a few euros more | Art and design, The Guardian[39]

Thick and thin, The Guardian[40]

Into Africa, artnet.com Magazine[41]

Oladélé Bamgboyé, The Unmasking, Part II, New York Arts Magazine[42]

From, Witte de With, centrum voor hedendaagse kunst[43]

Exhibition Histories - The Short Century, C&[44]

Oladele Bamgboye, Artist of the Month (article), New York Contemporary Art Report[45]

Anima Mundi (review), ETC[14]

Documenta X - Reclaiming the political project of the avant-garde, Third Text[46]

Moving In. Eight contemporary African artists, Flash Art International[47]

Oladélé Ajiboyé Bamgboyé, BE Magazin[48]

The White Aesthetic Necessitated by the 'Glasgow Miracle'[49]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Unmasking 3". www.wdw.nl. Witte de With. 1998. Archived from the original on 15 September 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2023. Unmasking 3 is a project by Oladélé Bamgboyé, and part of the ongoing Unmasking series (1999) which Bamgboyé has developed with cultural scholars, computer programmers and scientists. The series focuses on the use of and access to cultural artefacts which are buried in museums thousands of miles from their source of origin. With cutting edge 3D technology, these artefacts are scanned and provided with multiple digital contexts and interpretative suggestions. Subsequently, they are made available to users who can view, alter, and, ultimately, repossess these objects.
  2. ^ a b Christian Rattemeyer (5 August 2003). "Rewriting Mapplethorpe's "Black Book"". www.culturebase.net. House of World Cultures. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Bamgboyé, Oladélé Ajiboyé". www.wdw.nl. House of World Cultures. 5 August 2003. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Oladélé (Ola) Bamgboyé - Chief Architect - Cabinet Office | LinkedIn".
  5. ^ a b c d Odita, Odili Donald (1998). "Movement and Real Time in the Work of Oladele Ajiboye Bamgboyé". plexus.org. PLEXUS. Retrieved 11 May 2023. [1]
  6. ^ a b c "Unmasking Part 2". artpace.org. 1999. Retrieved 11 May 2023. Bamgboyé's new work at Art[p]ace operates in the realm of interactive software, which viewers can access via computer workstations placed in the gallery.
  7. ^ ""Unmasking" (2000-2001) is a project by Oladélé Ajibojé Bamgboyé". www.v2.nl. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  8. ^ Bamgboyé, Oladele; England, David; Tai, Ming (2001). Unmasking 3-A Framework for the Interactive African Art Museum (Technical report). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Carvalho, Denise (2001). "Oladélé Ajiboyé Bamgboyé (review)". Nka. 13 (1): 128. doi:10.1215/10757163-13-14-1-128. Project MUSE 422649.
  10. ^ "CCA Kitakyushu | Oladélé Ajiboyé Bamgboyé". cca-islands.org. Center for Contemporary Art CCA Kitakyushu. 2001. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Asian Art News". Asian Art News. Vol. 12. 2002. p. 56. ISSN 1023-5884. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023 – via books.google.com. ...Oladele Ajiboye Bamgboyé (Unmasking) probing the aesthetic or political implications of 3D scanning, quantum replication and teleportation.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "biography of Oladélé Ajiboyé BAMGBOYE (1963)". www.artprice.com. Artprice.com group. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  13. ^ Stills, photography gallery and bookshop (18 August 1989). "Anima Mundi". The List. p. 57.
  14. ^ a b Kunard, Andrea (Winter 1989). "Anima Mundi". ETC. No. 10. Revue d'art contemporain ETC inc. pp. 62–63. ISSN 0835-7641.
  15. ^ "世界劇場 - 2002台北雙年展". Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  16. ^ a b "GREAT THEATRE OF THE WORLD 2002". 20 June 2000. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  17. ^ "The Unmasking, Part II". www.thomaserben.com. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  18. ^ "Strangers and Paradise". www.fkawdw.nl/. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Unmasking 3". www.fkawdw.nl. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  20. ^ "The Hair or The Man (c.1994) and Blink (2001):Two video projections | Oladélé Ajiboyé Bamgboyé". www.thomaserben.com. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  21. ^ "2nd Johannesburg Biennale 1997". universes.art. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  22. ^ "Oladélé A. Bamgboyé.documenta 10, 1997". universes.art. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Oladélé Ajiboyé Bamgboyé, Seth Edenbaum, Adrian Piper, Sarah Rossiter Accrochage – Part II September 12 – October 31, 1998". www.thomaserben.com. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  24. ^ a b Cotter, Holland (12 May 2000). "ART IN REVIEW; Oladele Bamgboye". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  25. ^ "Mostra Africana de Arte Contemporânea". site.videobrasil.org.br. 2000. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  26. ^ "South Meets West". kunsthalle-bern.ch. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  27. ^ a b c "The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa, 1945–1994". south-south.art. 5 February 2002. Retrieved 14 May 2023. Venues and dates:Museum Villa Stuck, Munich 15 February to 22 April 2001; Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin 18 May to 29 July 2001; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago 8 September to 30 December 2001; P.S.1 and Museum of Modern Art, New York 10 February to 5 May 2002
  28. ^ "Animations | MoMA". www.moma.org. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  29. ^ "Artist data sheet". www.yokohamatriennale.jp. 作品展示場所. 2001. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  30. ^ Akiko, Miyake; Ulrich Obrist, Hans (26 July 2001). "BRIDGE THE GAP - Announcements - e-flux". www.e-flux.com. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  31. ^ "The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa, 1945–1994 | MoMA". www.moma.org. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  32. ^ "Après Eden: The Walther Collection". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  33. ^ "25 years". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  34. ^ "Shifting Dialogues Photography from The Walther Collection | Exhibition". ArtFacts. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  35. ^ "Accrochage". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  36. ^ ""THE VINCENT: The First Bi-annual Award for Contemporary Art in Europe"". www.absolutearts.com. Bonnefanten Museum. 2000. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  37. ^ Obrist, Hans Ulrich (2001). "Interview with Oladélé A. Bamgboyé". Nka. 13 (1): 86–91. doi:10.1215/10757163-13-14-1-86. S2CID 191620725. Project MUSE 422635.
  38. ^ Jones, Karen E. (1–8 June 2000). "Oladélé Bamgboyé, The Unmasking, Part II and Earlier Photoworks" (PDF). Time Out New York. No. 245.
  39. ^ Searle, Adrian (20 June 2000). "For a few euros more". The Guardian – via TheGuardian.com.
  40. ^ Searle, Adrian (8 July 2000). "Thick and thin". The Guardian – via TheGuardian.com.
  41. ^ Garnett, Joy (24 July 2000). "Into Africa" – via artnet.com.
  42. ^ Budzynski, Scott J. (July–August 2000). "Oladélé Bamgboyé, The Unmasking, Part II". New York Arts Magazine. p. 77.
  43. ^ "From". From. No. 3. Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art. 2000. p. 19 – via books.google.com.
  44. ^ Friedel, Julia (26 February 2018). "Exhibition Histories The Short Century" – via contemporaryand.com.
  45. ^ "Oladele Bamgboye, Artist of the Month". New York Contemporary Art Report. November 1998. ISSN 1422-6243.
  46. ^ Amor, Mónica (September 1997). "Documenta X: Reclaiming the political project of the avant-garde". Third Text. 11 (40): 95–100. doi:10.1080/09528829708576689.
  47. ^ Oktavio, Zaya; Okwui, Enwezor (29 November 1996). "Moving In. Eight contemporary African artists". Flash Art International. No. 186.
  48. ^ Weiermair, Peter (1994). "Oladélé Ajiboyé Bamgboyé". BE Magazin. No. 1. Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin.
  49. ^ Mulholland, Neil. "The White Aesthetic Necessitated by the 'Glasgow Miracle': Interview with Neil Mulholland" (Interview). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
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