An Appraisal of Ayo Aina’s Installation Art

The research is an attempt made to appraise the installation Art of Ayo Aina and to find out the socio-cultural relevance of his work to the Nigerian society. Related literature on the artist were reviewed coupled with oral interview. From this research work, the role played by the artist and the relevance of his work to the Nigerian society is highlighted through the analysis of styles and materials used for his installation works and the interpretation. Data collected for the study were analysed, and from the findings it was discovered that Ayo Aina was inspired by the huge pile of waste generated by the inordinate, consumerist mentality of the 21st century society. It was also. Discovered that the artist has been practicing other forms of art apart from installation, such as, painting, mosaic and relief murals. These are as a result of the artist‟s powerful creature ability, who attended the premier art school which exposed the artist to different art styles. The study also revealed that the artist has participated in about 17 groups and 4 solo exhibitions both within and outside Nigeria. The study revealed that Ayo installations are humorous, the installations reflects the reality of situation that addresses the socio-cultural situation in the society. For example globalization, hard lesson and child trafficking, the study discovered also the conceptual uniqueness in style of Ayo‟s installations, and its innovative art that critically pass across a message, such of work is Victim, Red Handed and Pump price. Installations made by Ayo Aina, which are emphasizing the need for change on certain areas of public and private life, should be brought to relevant authority and should be in places of national interest, like museums, galleries and public places to serve as objects of information and education. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations are advanced as to how the government of Nigeria can encourage the artist in the area of installation that addresses societal issues.

Installation is a kind of art that uphold the status of ideas beyond the significance of materials or productions. The late 1960s marked the beginning of a wave of social, ecological and cultural change that swept the world in artistic expression. The impetus of its growth stems largely from the advent of modern techniques and rapid pace of life which brought an accompanying guarantee for dissemination of new ideas and achievements. As with the various art movements, it appears that the wish to modify an existing art tradition had led to the full emergence of performance and installation art. Yusuf (2007) observed that, the emergence of both performance and installation art could be a result of artistic response to social influence and intellectual reasons. The word installation is relatively a new term in contemporary art emerging out of the discipline-blurring, irreverent artistic experimentations of the 1960s and 1970s. Wilson and Lack (2008) defined installation as the term used to describe mixed media construction or assemblage, usually designed for specific place and for a temporary period of time. Installations are works that often occupy the entire room or gallery space that the spectator invariably has to work through in order to engage fully with the work of art. However some installations are designed simply to be walked around and contemplated upon or are so fragile that they can only be viewed from a doorway or one end of a room.

Installation online (2014) defines installation art as an artistic genre of site-specific, three-dimensional works designed to transform the perception of a space.