NIGERIA-TOOTHPICK ART Art in miniature, a young Nigerian finds inspiration in toothpicks

Record ID: 150078

  • Title: NIGERIA-TOOTHPICK ART Art in miniature, a young Nigerian finds inspiration in toothpicks
  • Date: 4th June 2015
  • Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (JUNE 02, 2015) (REUTERS) WIDE OF NIGERIAN ARTIST, ADEOYE ADETUNJI OUTSIDE HIS HOME VARIOUS OF ADEOYE CUTTING TOOTHPICKS WITH A KNIFE STACK OF PACKAGED TOOTHPICKS ADEOYE CREATING PIECE TOOTHPICK DESIGN ON TABLE VARIOUS OF ADEOYE WORKING ON TOOTPICK PIECE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ADEOYE ADETUNJI, NIGERIAN TOOTHPICK ARTIST SAYING: "This is just a simple piece, a
  • Embargoed: 19th June 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA8RMWY7F0AMHPS6TFJFRXR7JX9
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Adeoye Adetunji is one of Nigeria's upcoming artists. He uses ordinary household toothpicks to create multidimensional pieces.
    Adeoye works from his home in Lagos where he has transformed the front yard into a studio. Today, he is creating what appears to be a hut but this is just the beginning and the end result may be something entirely different.
    Some of his pieces can take up to six months to complete but he needs just a few hours for smaller ones.
    "This is just a simple piece, a hut, possibly a double decker kind of ... just to save time, I just have to do this, instead of using toothpick for the layout, I had to use the fur of a coconut. I just had to take it off and put it all around and the reason why it still has this, it's still messy is because the glue is not dried, when it gets dried, it becomes colourless and it darkens the fur and there's going to be a better contrast," he explained.
    Adeoye makes everything from 3D structures such as buildings and temples to portraits and animal replicas.
    The 27-year-old has a background in mathematics and science which he says has been invaluable in his work.
    His pieces cost anywhere between 20,000 naira (about 100 U.S. dollars) and 500,000 naira (2,512 U.S. dollars) depending on the complexity of the design.
    "I've been doing art all my life but the toothpick concept started like nine years ago. That was in my second year in the university which em, it wasn't like I knew what I was doing, the particular way I brought about the concept, it was more like me experimenting and I did the experiment with toothpick and the concept came to life," he added.
    Toothpick art is not new and has been around for decades made famous by artists like American Steven J. Backma. But it hasn't been an easy journey for Adeoye who is the first in Nigeria to use toothpicks as his primary medium. He had to overcome scepticism from his friends and family.
    One of his best friends is a local comedian, Umori Godstime who says he was doubtful about Adeoye's choice.
    "Initially, I thought he was crazy. Seriously, we used to yab (make fun of) him and say: 'guy common look for something else to do, just do toothpick, toothpick, this thing go tire you o.' But seriously, it started making sense and we had no choice that just encourage him. I really really appreciate the work. It's awesome," said Umori.
    Despite his success so far, art critic, Oliver Nwowo says Adeoye's toothpick art will have a greater impact in the competitive art world if he uses it to address social issues.
    "The only other issue I might have with his work is if he can, if he's able to get away from just creating art for art sake, you know, which is purely for aesthetic concerns and having to actually tackle other issues, you know social issues; I'd like to see that and I think with that you know it will be easy for him to get into major exhibitions spaces and all if he can actually appropriate his art into tackling various social concerns you know which contemporary art is all about," said Nwowo.
    One of Adeoye's dreams is to open a gallery where he can display his pieces. He hopes it will also encourage other young artists and provide a platform where they too can share their work with the world.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register