Amidst the hustle and bustle of Atlanta’s Five Points, a collection of striking sculptures titled Memory in the Material, created by Olu Amoda, stand as a testament to the power of art in public spaces.
Presented in Woodruff Park as part of the Art in the Park series, this collaboration between the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District and nonprofit creative curator Dashboard aims to showcase interactive art installations that resonate with the community.
Memory in the Material is an ode to the concept that energy is everlasting, according to Amoda.
The artist, who divides his time between Atlanta and Lagos, Nigeria, believes in the importance of seeing objects not just for their present state, but for their histories as well.
“I encourage people to see things as they are but also for what they were,” Amoda explained.
His work is inspired by his past experiences, particularly those spent around tools that belonged to his late father, a master goldsmith.
The sounds of metalwork, reminiscent of his childhood in 1960s Okere Warri, the Niger Delta city rich in resources, provide a musical backdrop to Amoda’s creative process.
Although he showed artistic talent from a young age, the absence of dedicated art instruction during his formative school years led him to explore various academic paths before ultimately embracing art.
“I applied to other programs, I tried different things, but every time I did, I failed,” he recalled.
Art seemed to find Amoda when he least expected it, guiding him to a successful artistic career.
Having studied sculpture at Auchi Polytechnic in Nigeria during the 1980s, Amoda became a well-respected figure in the art world, founding Riverside Art and Design Studios in 2017 to assist fellow artists in Lagos.
After a few visits to the United States, he relocated in 2007 for an art residency and pursued a master of fine arts at Georgia Southern University.
In his serene Alpharetta studio, surrounded by nature, Amoda spends hours contemplating the potential within piles of old nails, bolts, metal plates, and other forgotten scraps.
The anticipation of what his materials might become is one of the most enjoyable aspects of his work.
Amoda reflects on how the rigid structure of academia stifled his creativity, describing himself as a nonconformist.
“They stole my smile; they stole my joy,” he lamented, but he found renewed inspiration during his art residency.
“Many create from a dark place, but I’m a happy artist,” Amoda stated, a sentiment reflected in his playful sculptures.
Among them is The Real Housewives of Buckhead, a lighthearted trio crafted entirely from materials sourced in Buckhead.
“I don’t take myself too seriously,” he said, chuckling.
His work transcends humor, prompting reflections on consumerism, economic class, and the human relationship with nature.
Amoda’s broader sculpture series interrogate identity, cultural heritage, colonialism, and social change.
Situated in downtown Atlanta, his sculptures vary from towering human figures to intricate busts made from iron gears and a delicate prancing horse, all composed of repurposed metals.
As Dashboard Executive Director Oshun Layne noted, Amoda’s meticulous arrangement of everyday materials captivates onlookers, inviting them to engage with the artwork on a deeper level.
The installations, part of past Art in the Park projects, invigorate the atmosphere of Woodruff Park, as described by Noa Hecht, creative placemaking lead at Atlanta Downtown.
Despite their industrial components, Amoda’s sculptures maintain a sense of elegance and fluidity, reflected in the graceful poses of the female figures, the expressive features of the bust, and the lively stance of the small horse.
The combination of dark materials contrasted with vibrant neon orange accents brings a sense of whimsy to the installations.
While many might view Amoda’s materials as merely discarded junk, he believes they possess intrinsic value, waiting to be reimagined.
“The objects find me,” he affirmed, emphasizing that society often overlooks the potential of materials deemed useless.
The true worth lies in their transformation into something new, while still retaining echoes of their previous existence.
Amoda describes a deep fascination with movement, both horizontally and vertically, asserting that when elements intersect, it can signal the beginning of new forms rather than an endpoint.
He encourages viewers to uncover connections to the past within the materials used in his sculptures.
“There’s a spiritual, magnetic connection to the pieces,” Amoda elaborated.
The dialogue created when he hammers the metal emphasizes a collaborative effort between the artist and the material, where respect and humility foster a harmonious outcome.
Memory in the Material, with its profound reflections on life and materiality, will be on display at Woodruff Park until June 18, inviting the public to engage with the remnants of the past and the possibilities of the future.
Angela Oliver, an Atlanta native with a background in journalism and Black studies, captures these artistic narratives while actively working in the nonprofit sector.
Her passion lies in envisioning the transition of her scripts from paper to the big screen.
image source from：https://www.artsatl.org/olu-amoda-redefines-value-embraces-playfulness-for-art-in-the-park/
