The Hepworth Wakefield acquires painting by Jadé Fadojutimi

Fadojutimi is one of the UK’s most exciting young artists. Ob-sess(h)-ion is from a body of work created in 2020, in which Fadojutimi began using oil stick in conjunction with paint, lending her work a new graphic character. Completed over several sittings, Ob-sess(h)-ion is built up with translucent layers, creating a powerful depth of colour and movement. For Fadojutimi, the act of painting is one of capturing the fleeting impressions and memories of a moment, a place, an interaction or emotion.

Jadé Fadojutimi said: ‘To obsess can be to dream;  an allowance of desire that emerges and has no reservations for the night. It seems as though a new imagined idea of the outside world has been created by this time. I have found myself obsessing over places that have yet to exist amongst the greenery of life that exists in places like these. The Hepworth Wakefield, surrounded by its gardens, will make a warm dwelling for this particular work, Ob-sess(h)-ion. It will be a wonderful testament to this moment.’

Jadé Fadojutimi (b.1993) holds a BA from The Slade School of Fine Art, London (2015) and an MA from the Royal College of Art, London (2017). Fadojutimi’s large-scale paintings combine abstract art and figurative elements in compositions that have intense graphic energy. While some of her paintings are worked on over time, others are completed in a single setting, and each evokes a memory or experience. Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London presented the artist’s first solo exhibition (2017-18) and a second in autumn 2020. Fadojutimi’s first institutional exhibition was at PEER UK, London in 2019. Fadojutimi has been selected to participate in the Liverpool Biennial 2021 and The Hepworth Wakefield will present an exhibition of new work in 2022.