Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Saturday 11am - 6pm
Artist’s Statement
This new body of work represents my direct response to creative urges, inspired by sounds and movements. I attempt to explore the powerful elements in performing arts, hoping to create a visual poetry imbued with the visual elements of space, color and texture. The need to capture the essence of the spiritual celebration of life in various dance forms, creative movements, and energetic sounds influenced the direction of this current work. In other words, my experimentation with movements and sounds has given birth to a visual celebration of human spirits and souls beyond the physical realm.
My excitement and fervor to capture the vitality and spontaneity of movement has prompted me to engage in the process of freely expressing my subjective interpretation of performing art forms. The seemingly dominant element of color becomes an available template for me to facilitate the nuances of the visual poetry.
My intent is to take the viewer to a certain domain where they can see the sounds and feel the movements through my work. If people can just hear the music and feel the rhythms of the movements, my work is done.
TUNDE OPENS HIS STUDIO IN RALEIGH NORTH CAROLINA
(RALEIGH, NC...) North Carolina artist and educator Tunde Afolayan opens his Raleigh studio on Friday, July 3, 2009, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The studio is located in the Carter Building Studios, 14 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 18-B Raleigh, NC 27603.
Showings are available by appointment only (252.267.5981) except every 1st Friday of the month from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
ARTIST COLLABORATES WITH LOCAL AGENCIES FOR A COMMUNITY MURAL PROJECT
NEA BIG READ PROJECT: Bless me, ULTIMA
In collaboration with Arts of the Albemarle, Elizabeth City Pasquotank Public Schools, Tunde worked with students at the high schools to create this mural for the BIG READ project
The mural concept wass based on the content of a classic novel titled Bless Me, Ultima written by Rudolfo Anaya. Tunde motivated the students to paint a visual narrative inspired by the contents of the novel. This community project is part of a national initiative and grant, (THE BIG READ) sponsored by National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
The Big Read is designed to bring reading to the forefront of American culture and make it an integral part of everyday life. To learn more about The Big Read, please visit NEA's website: www.neabigread.org/about.php.Project sponsor: Pasquotank-Camden Library, Elizabeth City
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Artsin partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.
ELIZABETH CITY CHURCH MURAL
In the Summer of 2007, Tunde completed a commissioned Church Mural in Elizabeth City, NC
In the summer of 2007, Tunde worked with a group of children to explore science through the visual art at Port Discover in Elizabeth City, North Carolina (Northeastern North Carolina Center for Hands-on Science).
SPARTA GEORGIA: COMMUNITY MURAL RESIDENCY
Tunde worked with a group of teenagers at the TEENS-A-MILLION center in Sparta, GA to create a mural. This mural captures community histories of Hancock County dating back to 1790s. Ages of participants range from 12 to 16.
Tunde Afolayan_ Artist in Residence Summer 2007.
BROAD ROCK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RICHMOND, VA: JAMESTOWN MURAL
This video "DREAMS STILL COME ALIVE: Exploring Virginia History" was creatred during an Art in Education Residency program at Broad Rock elementary school in Richmond, Virginia.
Tunde worked with the fourth grade students to create this mural which explores Virginia history and the first English settlement.
This project was sponsored byGail and Ken Henshaw through "I HAVE A DREAM" Foundation Richmond, VA.
Tunde's Video Channel on Youtube
RICHMOND COUNTY COMMUNITY MURAL
The residency project was sponsored by the North Carolina Arts Council.
Click on the image to read the Images article about Tunde and his art
Artist Shares His Talents
"Tunde Afolayan says artistic expression enhances learning for children . As a boy in Lagos, Nigeria, Tunde Afolayan discovered he could express his thoughts and feelings on canvas. Today, Afolayan is showing others how to find their own voices through the arts..."
MONTGOMERY COUNTY MURAL POJECT
The residency project was sponsored by the North Carolina Arts Council.
ARTMOVES REVIEWS ARTIST'S WORK
Tunde Afolayan, (pronounced "Toon-Day Ah-for-lion") an Elizabeth City resident artist and adjunct instructor of art at Elizabeth City State University.
'ARTMOVES' an all arts magazine did a review of Tunde's work in their Spring edition. Click on ARTMOVES image for full review (PDF).
*Acrobat reader is required to download this document.
