Galleries

Children of the Ancestors is a solo exhibition of Nigerian American artist, Jide Ojo presented at the Rush Gallery Project Space September 7^th – 23^rd, 2017. This exhibition highlights the large-scale installation, The Children of the Ancestors, is a mural sized piece made of a collection of photographs, shattered glass, resin bubble forms, with rich saturated colors.

Jide Ojo, grew up in Ilesha and Lagos before moving to New York in 1972. Growing up in Nigeria with a mother who worked with fabric dying and a father who was a blacksmith, Ojo moved to the US to pursue art and education. Being in and around artists, photographers, and gallerists, he has been inspired by the layers of community within the arts and the people who have inspired and supported his artistic career. For over 12 years Ojo photographed the people in his orbit including several inspirational artists, gallery owners, and art collectors: Jack Shainman, Danny Simmons, Russell Simmons, Mart Markowitz, Chuck Close, Frank Bowling, Martin Puryear, Fred Wilson, Whitfield Lovell, David Hammons, Laurie Simms, DJ Spooky, Kehinde Wiley, and Andres Serrano, to name a few. They are all a part of Children of the Ancestors on view.

Children of the Ancestors, is a reflection of spiritual ideology of human development and relationships. The bubbles and bursts, reflect how thoughts and personas can grow within a bubble, and then burst or shatter, becoming part of a primordial web. Ojo believes we are all children of the Ancestors, and it is time to see our connections.