By: Shelley McKinley
The latest public art installment entitled, ‘From Slavery to Freedom,’ was co-created by Bimbo Adenugba and Victor Ash, and is featured on the side of the building at 1310 Preston St., which was formerly the Cotton Exchange of Houston. Cotton is symbolic of slavery in the United States for most descendants of the enslaved, so when looking at the mural from left to right it is the representation of the African continent with the map and elephants, where enslaved people came from, to the larger depiction of Harriet Tubman, who led many of the enslaved people to freedom in the northern states of the USA. As Adenugba explained, “Th e two murals are actually unified, and features an arrow of freedom.”
“First you formulate the idea and look at the space available. You design based upon the space,” explained Adenugba. ‘From Slavery to Freedom’ is on a brown building with lots of windows. The design incorporated the windows, and used the color of the building to accentuate Harriet Tubman’s skin tone. The wall, therefore, is a part of the design. This is not Adenugba’s first mural. He collaborated with Reginald Adams and other creative artists on public art around Houston. He also worked on the ‘Absolute Equality-Juneteenth Mural’ project in Galveston TX. “I have always been an artist, but I got into public art when I got to the United States and met Reginald Adams. Th e Juneteenth mural was significant because it was dedicated as a federal holiday and was signed into law in 2021. Th e Juneteenth mural was a springboard to a larger mural in Detroit.”
‘Th e Legacy’, located on the corner of San Jacinto at Preston in Houston, TX, is also by Bimbo Adenugba. It pays tribute to Native Americans, and features the daughter of a local indigenous tribe. Th e fireflies and roses symbolize hope and nature, the scale symbolizes justice, and the apple and glass symbolize access to food and clean water for all. “Public art is impactful because it can educate, inspire, and affect the mental attitude of both the artist and the viewer. The platform allows us to pass on lots of messages,” shared Bimbo. In addition to murals, Bimbo Adenugba also creates oil paintings. He has a show scheduled at the Anderson Art Center in South Carolina in the near future. Bimbo focuses on contemporary life situations and sociopolitical reflections. His unique style brings together colors, light and lines, with which he composes highly poetic imageries and powerful visual statements.
Bimbo Adenugba is a Nigerian artist, now based in Houston Texas. He is a recipient of several awards and laurels both academic and corporate, which includes, a first prize National Academy Prize Award in Nigeria, fourth prize International Award from Windsor and Newton millennia art competition. He has participated in several exhibitions all across the globe, in Europe and the USA. “I feel privileged to be a Creative,” exclaimed Adenugba.
