We Are Reagents : Knots of the witness
work
About
We Are Reagents : Knots of the Witness is a body of paintings by Gbolahan Ayoola that explores the human figure as a site of historical accumulation and spiritual resonance. The project draws from the artist’s long-standing investigation into what he describes as “human archaeology”, the idea that individuals carry within them the layered traces of collective history, cultural memory, and unseen spiritual forces.
Acrylic, Pastel, Ink, and, Bonded Earth on Canvas Dimensions: 185.42 x 152.41 cm. 2024. The Dance. Price: $22,000
In Gbolahan’s paintings, the figure emerges as a monumental yet enigmatic form. Rendered in dense black pigment and marked with incisions, scratches, and gestural inscriptions, these figures appear less as portraits than as vessels of experience. Their surfaces evoke excavation marks or ritual symbols, suggesting that the human body itself can be read as an archive shaped by time, belief, and historical tension.
The surrounding fields of colour, constructed through repeated dotted textures, function as energetic terrains around the figures. These grounds recall both cosmological diagrams and archaeological mapping systems, hinting at invisible networks of influence that shape human consciousness and social life.
Knots of Witnesses Time Acrylic, Pastel & Bonded Earth on Canvas 243.84 x 426.72 cm 2025. Price: $100,000
The Cartographer of Silence Acrylic, Pastel, and, Ink on linen 2023 Dimensions: 101.6 x 76.2 cm. Price: $6000
The body as Excavation Site Acrylic, Pastel & Bonded Earth on Canvas 182.88 x 152.4 cm 2022. Price: $22,000
Ritual Surface, Fractured Ground Acrylic, Pastel and Bonded Earth on Canvas Dimension: 181.88 x 213.36 cm 2023. Price: $30,000
