For the second time, Matthew Oyedele has curated ‘Beyond Limit’, an art show that sought to address the underrepresentation of ceramics as a genre.
   
Staged at Quintessence, Park View, Ikoyi, Lagos, the show featured works of Olúbùnmi Atéré, Àkànní Kehinde, Chris Ekuafeh, Samuel Abidemi, Asuni Wasiu Olatunde, Adéòtí Azeez Afeez, Idemudia Mercy Itohan, Ato Arinze and Djakou Kassi Nathalie. It ran from May 6 to 20, 2023.
   
The artists, selected for their varied approaches to the medium, responded to their environment by considering the history, people, traditions and culture with an aim to produce a dynamic exhibition that revelled in the diversity of the art form.
   
The show highlighted and positioned ceramics as active in contemporary conversations. 
   
“Whenever there is an exhibition, we see sculptures and paintings, but hardly ceramic, then I decided that it was time we brought ceramic artists together. We launched a yearly show that extended conversation on ceramics as a genre of art.
   
“We did the first edition at Yabatech last year, this is the second show and we are going to continue.”  Speaking on the reason for the theme, he said: “When I did an open public call on Facebook and asked why we had more paintings and sculptures, people came up with different answers, including, the one, which said ceramics was not more than pot and plate, so, I saw that as a limit, and I concluded the medium did not have a limit. It is beyond the limit that people have placed on it.”
   
On his hope for the genre, he said: “I hope that ceramics become accepted as a popular medium.”  He went further, “this exhibition is to facilitate the promotion and acceptance of ceramics so that people do not see it as only pot and plate. This is a contemporary medium, which can be utilised for any adaption. So the aim is that we start seeing ceramic as a formidable genre of art.”