BUNMI AGUSTO

Agusto is a fan of storytelling of both underdocumented histories and fictional narratives. In her practice, she combines these interests to depict mutated figures existing in an imaginary nation. In her few years of researching cultural theory, Agusto's main observation is that in order for hybridity to exist, there must first be an encounter between an incumbent culture and an alien culture. Drawing on the biological and cultural connotations of these terms, 'alien' and 'hybrid', she utilises surrealist traditions to create hybrids that combine the human form with elements she deems integral to her cultural consciousness as a Nigerian who was born and raised in Lagos.

From a tongue transformed into the tail of an Agama lizard to a second set of eyes nestled within tribal marks, these mutated subjects go on to form eight fictional clans, all of whom worship the First Alien as the ancient ancestor that caused their existence. Within Agusto's mixed media works, the First Alien is illustrated as a reconfiguration of the human form that constantly captures the attention of hybrids and humans alike. The hybrids' fixation is rooted in ancestral yearning whilst the humans' is rooted in exoticism.