'These Four Walls' by Ayotunde Ojo moves between memory and domestic intimacy

Figures drift between realism and abstraction, evoking the transience of human experience in These Four Walls, a solo exhibition by Ayotunde Ojo hosted at Southern Guild, Cape Town, South Africa. The show unveils the Nigeria-based painter’s exploration of memory, domesticity and psychological space. On view from November 14, 2024 – March 6, 2025, the art exhibition puts on display Ojo's use of muted colour palettes and delicate layering of graphite and paint depicting everyday interiors—sunlit rooms, quiet corridors and furniture designs steeped in nostalgia—where the passage of time feels both slow and elusive.

Within These Four Walls, the Nigerian artist compositions balance precise architectural elements with figures that seem to dissolve into their surroundings, reflecting on the fluid nature of memory and identity.

At the heart of the exhibition are Ojo's deeply introspective paintings, where ordinary moments are imbued with emotional weight. Untitled (Self-Portrait) features the artist seated at a table, lost in thought, while a woman in the background adjusts herself in a mirror. The contrast between solid, structured elements and softly blurred details mirrors the experience of recalling memories—some sharp, others fading with time. Still Life (2024), rendered in oil, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, exemplifies his sensitivity to materials. Thin films of paint hover over the surface, allowing fine graphite lines to subtly emerge, while certain areas are left raw, exposing the canvas beneath. In contrast, the paint runs freely in others, dissolving form and structure into fluid motion. The composition reflects the impermanence of objects and the quiet narratives they hold.

"Ojo's paintings exude a quiet and restrained elegance. Figures—still and solitary—lie recumbent over furniture or occupy themselves in the rituals of daily life: reading a book, washing the dishes, ironing clothes or scrolling on their phones. The colours are muted, as if viewing the scenes through a hazy veil. These works, like a deep exhale, convey a sense of calm and contemplation,” shares the art gallery.

Ojo's ability to transform domestic interiors into poetic reflections extends to At First Glance (Spider Plant) (2024), a contemporary artwork that captures the subtle tension between stillness and movement. Figures, partially obscured, emerge from layered washes of paint, their presence both tangible and ephemeral. Doorways, window frames and tiled floors create structured compositions, anchoring the viewer in familiar spaces, yet Ojo’s handling of paint—where edges seep and dissolve—suggests a world constantly shifting between reality and memory. His methodical approach results in scenes that feel suspended in time, inviting contemplation on the nature of existence and perception.

The Lagos-based contemporary artist’s subtle technique adds to the evocative power of his work. His paintings embrace both intimacy and ambiguity, making the viewer actively participate in their interpretation. By employing muted tones, delicate erasures and raw canvas beneath thin layers of paint, he creates a visual language that mimics the way memories surface and recede. His brushstrokes suggest impermanence, while carefully structured compositions ground his figures in an almost cinematic stillness.

"I'm interested in how memory reshapes reality. The way we recall spaces isn't always exact—details blur, emotions override facts, and time shifts unpredictably," says Ojo. This sentiment is reflected in the way his paintings are constructed—an interplay between clarity and dissolution, presence and absence.

"The medium of paint becomes a tool to explore the fluidity of memory, space and consciousness. The domestic interior, with its orderly layout of interleading rooms and instantly recognisable taxonomy of urban life – bookshelf, potted plant, draped chair – unravels into a zone of becoming and unbecoming," as the gallery puts it.

Throughout These Four Walls, Ojo transforms the domestic into the poetic. Through restrained yet powerful imagery, he explores the quiet drama of interior life—a window catching the afternoon sun, a shadow stretching across a tiled floor, a hand resting on the edge of a chair. Each painting suggests a moment suspended in time, prompting reflection on the spaces we inhabit and how they shape our inner worlds. With These Four Walls, Ojo offers a meditation on solitude, memory and the poetry of everyday life.