Kola Ogunsunlade Joseph

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I was born on October 11, 1965, in Ibadan, in the state of Oyo, Nigeria. My childhood was blended with the art of cage making. Out of tin plates, I also made drums and trucks, among other objects. This is how my involvement with this recycled metal work began. Sources have it that my paternal grandfather was a sculptor, otherwise I have no connection with any artist, nor an early artistic influence in my life. I studied art and designing at the Polytechnic of Ibadan, merely for love and interest in the field. Nevertheless, my early love for metal objects influenced my art, and soon I found myself leaning more on sculpting than what I studied at school. I dare say that I am an ebullient artist with an unlimited imagination.

Through my work I combine discarded metals, rearranging them to create human figures, masks and animals. My desire is to portray a 'resurrection of dead objects,' to help us see their beauty by giving them a new life. On the other hand, working with recycled materials has a potential yet to be discovered, especially in Ghana.

"I see the world of creation as opening minds and allowing eyes to see the entire globe drawn by one line. After all, a line is only a moving dot. We all emanate from this single line and that is the foundation of it all. Clay to flesh and back to clay. To this world I belong, creating art by bringing something out of nothing. I am highly inspired by people's drawings. Looking at a drawing, I imagine it as a sculpted piece of work. The next moment, I would be on the path of sculpting it.

"I see my greatest challenge in finding the right approach to life. This is where my passion for excellence comes from; my work certainly shapes that passion. One of my charms is my modesty and desire to make the world a better place than before. I've participated in individual and collective art expositions in Ibadan, Lagos, Accra, Cape Coast and New York. I'm very happy because so far my work is present all over the world. My wife is a fashion designer and we have a child. When I am not sculpting, I find time to do some cycling."