For Expo Chicago 2023, KORNFELD Galerie is pleased to present the works of Giorgio Celin (1986 in Barranquilla, Colombia) and Olasunkanmichris Akomolehin (1995 in Lagos, Nigeria).

The exhibition brings together the marginalised figures depicted in Giorgio Celin’s work and the large-scale paintings by Olasunkanmichris Akomolehin. The artists explore themes of identity, intimacy and relationship in brilliant color and energy.

Giorgio Celin’s works are characterised by the people he paints. Mostly characters that are marginalised and ostracised by society portraying an intersectionality of queerness and immigration. Raising questions about belonging and seclusion.
In “l’abitudine di restare” (the habit of staying) he portrays a male looking figure sitting pensive in a room, shirtless, his hand holding a smart phone where one can see a dating app open. The solitude this figure carries while still being in digital contact with a possible stranger, is a relevant and relatable struggles in todays youth.
Giorgio’s traditional and romantic way of painting mixed with the modernity of current brands, hairstyles, outfits and technology, plus the unique sentimentality and humanity the characters express in his works, are what make the pieces so strong, current, but at the same time timeless.

Olasunkanmi Akomolehin’s body of work “People are becoming memories while still alive (More than a flower series)” illuminates the idea that memories are not only created upon the passing of a person. The series highlights how memory is an integral part of an individual’s life and is essential for learning and preserving a sense of self. Additionally, it brings attention to why some memories stick better than others, as well as accepting their constantly changing nature. There are several people in our lives that we meet at different times of our lives and we share love, care and experiences with each of them as well as promises being made to us. We hope that these relationships will last long and we intend to hold on to them forever, so we nurture them with the hopes that they will last long and last forever. The flowers portrayed in the series symbolise the memories that have been shared and how as humans we would want to hold on to them as long as we can. In most cases, their true beauty is built around the things that go unnoticed most of the time as well. In his work, the artist hopes to bring to the fore how much we are meant to value the memories and the moments as they pass by, and how value they are meant to hold for us in the future. No matter how good or how bad a moment is, it still constitutes life, a living piece of art and the true joy of life lies in the memories we have forgotten more than anything else.