Folashade Elizabeth Olukoya

Folashade Elizabeth Olukoya

‘Re-pairing the re-ruined’ (women empowerment)

My experiential journey into research is one of passion for re-tooling. My practice roots in the materialism of paper mâché – an ancient material that has historically been employed for functional and decorative purposes yet often overlooked as a medium for artistic expression, is the metaphor for violence and resilience. Concentrating on employing paper processing into papier mâché-an entity bereft of its original form-I use this method in rigorous research practice to convey the essence of having an overview of trauma in marginalised women. Simultaneously, my art research explores how papier mâché, as a medium of material transformation, can embody a practice of resistance and hope.

The medium, expressing both the dispossession and re-possession of female power through trauma recovery, represents women’s encounters in terms of their different degrees of violation. At the same time, it concurrently acts as a conduit for re-empowerment and restoration of dignity. These core aspects in my practice are complexly connected to the material culture of papier mâché, evidencing its ability to articulate the knowledge of trauma in abused women, challenging established norms framed in disfavour of women’s “space” and “say”, and ultimately advocating for women’s power re-gain.