“To contrast, his new work [commissioned in the Niger Delta, Kono Beach Revival, 2016] showcases refined performance, and calculated postures that respond to his engagement with … the lifeless waters in Ogoniland…Oghobase disrupts layers of air, land, and water with his body. It is as though he rejuvenates this inert place with upward motion and kinetic energy. …It might initially be interpreted as a figure jumping at the beach. This reading is dampened by the fragment of pipeline in the lower right-hand corner of the frame. Understanding this detail links the interpretation of the image to a particular circumstance, which the artist has researched. As Oghobase delves into the nuance of exchanges between his body and environments, cropped and constructed, the way he does so has become more considered. Now, his pursuit of specific histories is an indication of how his oeuvre continues to expand and renew environments.” – Temitayo Ogunbiyi, excerpt from curator’s text for “Forming Place” exhibition at Boys’ Quarters Project Space, Port Harcourt, October 22, 2016 – February 2017
“This is a story with sky, land, and water as the canvas. This is a story where Oghobase wields the universal elements of nature to relay specific human conditions. In Kono Beach Revival, 2016, he rises over a beach polluted with oil, blood, and capital greed, a hat trick of blights synonymous with Nigeria’s Niger Delta, where the country’s oil was discovered. All the fish at the beach are dead. No memories are made there either. Yet it appears Oghobase sees revival as a possibility. Redemption even?” – Ayodeji Rotinwa, excerpt from ArtForum Critics’ Picks review of “No Matter Who You Are” at Angels and Muse, Lagos, April 22 – June 18 2018
Medium: Lithographic prints on matte paper and transparency film
