folake the artist

Bio

Folake Idowu is a multi-disciplinary artist who lives and works in Switzerland. Figurative paintings, drawings, embroidery and collage form integral aspects of her art practice.

Her artwork is inspired by her African heritage, mythology and popular modern culture.

Folake also creates crafted artisanal pieces and cards which speak to her need to experiment and discover new means of self-interpretation, while expanding the narrative about gender and black culture.

Children series

Women series

Mask head series

A crown for a dream

Coloured pencil, iridescent acrylic and water-based paint on paper

Collage series

Sweet song

Gouache & acrylic, collage and paint on paper

Textile portraits series

Sheila knew

Embroidery thread on cotton, 2023

Safe from me

Embroidery thread on cotton, 2022

Her heart is true

Embroidery thread on cotton, 2022

Recent work - Inclusion

SGD 10

Water-based paint, crayon and pencil on linen, 2023

Artist statement

Growing up in Nigeria helped to foster my love for art, culture and colour. Over the years, I have devoted more attention to history, folklore and anthropology, while living a contemporary pan-African existence.

My studies in the UK and Switzerland influenced the research into the politics of identity and what it means to be female, black and underrepresented in the modern context.

Much of my artwork in recent years has been about returning to the basics, which has meant a shift from oil paintings on canvas to working on different kinds of paper using a variety of inks, tea, crayons, gouache, watercolours and mixed media. This change of process made me delve deeper into how colour can redefine the narrative on invisibility and diversity.

My work remains mainly figurative. From the intricate drawings of the African mask heads to the prints and paintings of the women and children, the common theme has centered around representation. With the embroidery series, the faces harken back to old traditions of craftwork including stitching, sewing and appliqué, which were once previously considered as "women's work" and not highly valued as a artistic skill.

Women and children remain the main focus of my recent body of work as I believe they are often the most under-represented or are more often than not, painted in a way that is not empathetic to their struggles and triumphs.

Exhibitions

Group shows

1. Zee Arts, "SDGs through arts" (COP 29) - Dubai, UAE, 2023
2. AfroSwissters - Zurich, Switzerland - June 2023
3. Zee Arts, Atelier Mondial, Basel, Switzerland - June 2023
4. Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London, UK, June - Aug. 2023
5. Villa Dutoit, Geneva, Switzerland, 2022
6. Pebeo "Mixed Media Exhibition”, London, UK, 2019
7. Ferme Sarasin, *Emotions", Geneva, Switzerland, 2018
8. Atelier eeeeh! – Nyon, Switzerland, 2019
9. Musee Rath, "Les Rathanians", Geneva, Switzerland, 2012
10. Dakar OFF, Dakar, Senegal, 2008
    

Solo shows

1. WIPO, “A river named Atlantic”, Geneva, Switzerland, 2019
2. WIPO, “Afropolitan” exhibition, Geneva, Switzerland, 2012
3. La Scandale, Geneva, Switzerland, 2011
4. Tox & Co - Geneva, Switzerland, 2009
5. Expat Expo, Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland, 2006
   

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