Who Is Adebunmi Gbadebo?

Adebunmi Gbadebo is a trailblazer in today’s art world. As the descendant of enslaved African Americans, this artist has worked for years to retrace and reclaim her lineage. As a result, her emotive works are unlike anything else you’ll find in your average gallery.

But Gbadebo doesn’t work in traditional mediums like paint or charcoal. Rather, her preferred materials include soil, rice, and even human hair.

Join us as we explore Gbadebo’s radical and fresh approach to her art.

Let’s check it out!

The Story of Adebunmi Gbadebo

Gbadebo was born in New Jersey and is currently based in Newark. She first rose to prominence in 2015 with her debut solo exhibition at the Paul Robeson Gallery at Rutgers University. She holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York.

Adebunmi can trace her ancestry to her father’s lineage in Nigeria. Her maternal origin can be traced to the True Blue Plantation in Fort Motte, South Carolina. In fact, many of her ancestors were enslaved on the plantation, and some were buried there.

Where Does Adebunmi Gbadebo Find Inspiration?

As a descendant of enslaved people, the history of the African diaspora interests Gbadebo. One of her primary artistic goals is putting descendants at the center of her work. 

Much of her personal family history was erased during the transatlantic slave trade. For Gbadebo, her art is a way to reconstruct her family’s past and connect with her ancestors.

Unconventional materials also inspire this artist. Gbadebo’s art is laced with items related to the African diaspora. Using these items helps her connect to a lost past. While some artists might use paints or charcoal, this creator takes inspiration from found and naturally occurring materials.

What Mediums Does Adebunmi Gbadebo Work With?

Gbadebo’s work uses innovative techniques and mediums. Throughout her career, she’s created entire series using unlikely objects. In fact, the out-of-the-box items she uses have come to define her artistic identity to some audiences.

Adebunmi Gbadebo is a multimedia artist. She creates prints, paintings, paper, and ceramics. Many of her art objects also include human hair. Gbadebo sees hair as a way to center Black and African American narratives, making it a natural addition to her work.

This artist also creates pottery and sculpture pieces. For her Remains exhibition, she used earth and soil sourced specifically from the True Blue Plantation. Gbadebo views this as a way to honor her ancestors buried on this land. These pieces serve as a record of erased family history and lineage.

What Is the Significance of True Blue Plantation?

The True Blue Plantation is a significant part of Gbadebo’s family history and artistic purpose. Her 2020 solo exhibit, A Dilemma of Inheritance, addressed a conundrum central to her life: how does a descendant of enslaved people reclaim their ancestral land when they can’t legally claim said land?

Gbadebo’s approach is clever and innovative. Rather than focusing on contemporary property lines, the artist created pieces like A New and Accurate Map of the Land Formerly Known as Negroland. This work creates a combined map of the “New World” that Europeans discovered and the landscape and borders of the True Blue Plantation.

Taken together, these boundaries challenge our traditional views of land ownership and sovereignty. Gbadebo uses hair, soil, and other visceral materials to drive her message home. If descendants of these lands don’t have autonomy, who does?

Emotive Pieces by Adebunmi Gbadebo

Adebunmi Gbadebo’s work is arresting and emotive. Her carefully chosen mediums inspire audiences to see the past through new eyes. This artist’s work is uniquely moving. Let’s look at a few of her pieces.

I Sang the Blues

Completed in 2019, this large piece was made using human hair, hair dye, and weave glue. As its title suggests, there’s a lot of blue color here.

At first glance, I Sang the Blues could be a landscape or even a continent map. The darker portions of the canvas suggest the possibility of a night sky. Yet, no matter what the viewer sees, the use of blue color is not to be ignored. Gbadebo’s art often uses blue to acknowledge the people who grew and harvested indigo during the transatlantic slave trade.

In Memory of K Smalls

In Memory of K Smalls belongs to Gbadebo’s collection of ceramics. This work incorporates many of the artist’s chosen unlikely artifacts. The piece also includes soil from the True Blue Plantation and gold rice from South Carolina.

Although it’s a ceramic sculpture, In Memory of K Smalls feels very alive. The soil used to create the pottery shell has a particular, warm hue, while the carefully placed grains of rice evoke human hair. The colors and textures of this piece invite the viewer to imagine the person who inspired it.

Production I

Production I is one of Gbadebo’s larger works. It was included in Four Now, a group show put on by Untitled Art Fair’s 2019 exhibition at the Claire Oliver Gallery. It’s one of this artist’s most affecting and powerful pieces.

This artwork is part one of a series by Gbadebo, which aims to chronicle the inhumane working conditions of the indigo industry during the slave trade. Many enslaved individuals who labored on indigo plantations experienced short life expectancies. Gbadebo’s work incorporates historical text, including writings from indigo plantation enslavers.

Where Is Adebunmi Gbadebo’s Art Displayed?

Adebunmi Gbadebo is doing powerful, unique work. For anyone seeking to broaden their cultural and historical horizons, this artist’s content is unmissable. Whether online or in person, Gbadebo’s art is accessible to anyone interested.

National Museum of African Art

The National Museum of African Art currently houses several of Gbadebo’s works. Most of these are from her True Blue Plantation series. They’re viewable both online and in person at the museum’s flagship location in Washington, D.C.

According to its website, the National Museum of African Art aims to share 21st-century African art from around the globe. In addition to Gbadebo’s work, visitors can see many other permanent and current exhibits. The museum showcases pieces by artists from America, Nigeria, and many other countries.

Online

If you can’t make it to the National Museum of African Art, don’t worry. Adebunmi Gbadebo makes it easy to view her work online.

Gbadebo’s beautiful website contains all the colors and warmth of her art. Visitors can see her work organized by exhibition and subject. In addition, the website features close-up photos of individual pieces. There are also photos from exhibits and other gallery settings.

Instagram is another fantastic outlet for this artist’s fans. The maker posts careful shots of finished pieces as well as casual portraits. Works in progress are on display, as are finished products. Gbadebo also promotes current and forthcoming events on her Instagram page.

True Blue Artistry

Adebunmi Gbadebo pushes boundaries that many artists wouldn’t think to challenge. Her use of raw materials and straightforward messaging are indeed powerful. 

Within the art world, radical imagery isn’t uncommon. But Gbadebo can focus on those extreme elements and make them universally understood. That’s not something you see every day.

Which of Adebunmi Gbadebo’s impactful works is your favorite? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.