The end of this week sees the culmination of an artwork by Dilomprizulike, the self-styled Junkman from Afrika.
Since early May he has been in residence at the Mostyn gallery in Llandudno, creating his unique Welsh version of The Junkyard Museum of Awkward Things for the first time outside of his native Lagos, Nigeria.
Having collected recyclable waste from disposal sites in the Llandudno vicinity he set about creating an installation that is a kind of ‘artistic hospital’, where discarded objects have been resuscitated and given new life.
As well as addressing ecological issues, The Junkyard Museum of Awkward Things is a reflection on people’s sense of rejection by, and isolation in, a consumer society that values disposability.
As we look at the misshaped discarded metal, the old shoes, the plastic wrappers and the broken umbrellas it appears quite comical at the first glance but the underlying message is both sobering and serious.
The Junkman, who often uses cooking analogies to discuss his process of work says of his collection of Welsh ingredients that the soup is now cooked.
The official opening will be at 7.30pm on Friday 30 July and The Junkyard Museum will remain at the Mostyn until Saturday 16 October. On Saturday 31 July at 2pm Junkman will talk about this work and other projects he has undertaken including being part of the seminal Africa Remix show at the Hayward Gallery and a residency at the V&A.
You can follow Junkman’s progress on Culture Colony where Pete Telfer has been following the Junkyard from early May: http://www.culturecolony.com/news?id=2420
