"The phrase “Black joy” is often used to describe the experiences of Black people taking space, time, and comfort in their own company: a radical act in a society where racism is still pervasive. It’s an apt characterization of the subject matter of painter Sola Olulode. The British Nigerian artist creates gestural portraits of women and nonbinary people embracing one another, which draw on her Yoruba heritage, evoking Adire textiles in their style.
For her new show at Ed Cross's London space, Olulode continues to portray the queer community that she is a part of. This new series of yellow-hued works depicts queer women falling in love. The warmth of feeling in these paintings is palpable: In The Bubble Of Your Love (2023), for instance, shows a couple dancing, enthralled and radiant in each other’s company."
