White Cube Seoul Opens 'Immersions' by Tunji Adeniyi-Jones
Works that explore the plurality of selfhood in pristine rhythm and motion.
White Cube Gallery in Seoul is debuting a new showcase of paintings by Tunji Adeniyi-Jones in a solo exhibition entitled Immersions, now on view until February 22, 2025. Born in the UK and now based in New York, Adeniyi-Jones’ works emerge from a perspective described as “cultural addition, combination and collaboration,” evoking fantasy and diasporic narratives in equal breath.
Drawing inspiration from his Yoruba heritage, the artist explores themes of African subjecthood, diasporic identity and autonomy through a dialogue of figuration and abstraction. Highly stylized, genderless figures envelope the canvases in expressive gestures of dance. Rendered in flowing lines inspired by Yoruba practices of scarification and body painting, these forms enter a liminal plane, existing as symbols, deities or mythical beings.
Complemented against the backdrop of foliate and sinuous blooms, which recall ornate elements of the arts and crafts movements, the background echoes the figures’ sense of rhythm and motion. Here, the artist spotlights the power of dance and its connection to the plurality of selfhood, offering a mode of resistance in the face of restricted notions of Black identity.
In this new series, Adeniyi-Jones turns a curious eye to surrounding space in form and focus. As painted bodies dissolve into layered, abstract compositions, the artist incorporates the pearlescent tones of Seoul’s mist and the cultural significance of white as a symbol of the heavens, creating ethereal landscapes of wide-spanning cultural cues.
