By: Chieloka Anadu
What most people call wood garbage, Abraham Adewole sees as “a material with another life.” The contemporary Nigerian artist, who describes himself as the No. 1 Wood Regeneration and Wood Garbage Artist, collects discarded wood, old furniture, and pieces nobody wants anymore, then cleans, sands, and transforms them into artworks. His practice grows out of concern about deforestation and the continuous cutting down of trees, which we rely on to produce oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, and provide materials like furniture. Rather than arguing that people should stop using wood entirely, he believes in using it responsibly and replacing what is taken from nature. “I turn garbage to gold,” he says, and he backs the idea with action, dedicating 20% of the sales from his artworks to planting trees. His message is a simple one: “Use wood, cherish wood, and replace wood.” As he puts it, “Reclaimed wood is my material, and regeneration is my message.”
The beginnings of that practice lie in his childhood. His father is a carpenter, and Adewole grew up around wood, carpentry tools, and furniture, often following his father to worksites. He didn’t initially expect to become an artist working with wood, but the experience stayed with him. As his interest in art grew, he began to see discarded wood differently, thinking about where it came from, the tree that was cut down to produce it, and what happens to the material once people no longer need it. Those thoughts led to bigger questions about deforestation, waste, sustainability, and regeneration, and to a fascination with how something considered useless can become meaningful again.
He names Okunade Olamilekan, Dotun Popoola, and Patience Adekunle as the artists who have influenced his work.
Adewole doesn’t claim a single technique. His process is more about letting the material guide him and finding a way to make the wood communicate what he wants to say, and it is demanding. He first has the wood cut into rods so it comes in smaller units, then brings it back to his studio to smooth it, remove scars, clean it, and sand it before cutting it into smaller pieces. Some pieces are painted and arranged by colour, then moved around repeatedly to see how they fit the form he is building. It takes patience, and he admits it sometimes makes him ask, “Is there no other medium?” His commitment to the vision keeps him going.
For darker tones, he chars the wood, burning some pieces more than others rather than turning everything fully black, and the difference is deliberate. Heavily charred pieces can represent relationships that were once very important but no longer hold the same place, since life changes and someone central at one stage may not play the same role at another. The lightly burned pieces, which still have some life in them, represent the possibility of rekindling a relationship if we choose to. “My materials are not just materials,” he says. “The wood, the colours, the arrangement and even the way I burn some pieces are all part of the story I am trying to tell.”
When creative blocks arrive, which he admits they sometimes do, usually when the mind becomes cloudy with too much going on, Adewole meditates and reflects. As a Peace Rebel with the World Peace Initiative and an active member of ILPCN, he has learned a good deal about mindfulness and self-reflection, and he uses mantra techniques in meditation to bring his mind back to the centre. Afterwards he takes time to reflect, which helps him organise his thoughts and see things differently. “Instead of forcing myself to create, I first work on clearing my mind,” he explains, and once it is clear, working again becomes much easier.
If his artwork could speak, he believes it would say: “You are what you cut down.” He wants the work to mirror each viewer and make them ask what they might be overlooking, and what they have considered useless that could still become something meaningful. The idea extends beyond wood: a failure, a setback, or something that didn’t work out may not be the end, but a stepping stone to something better. “For me, waste is not always waste,” he says. “Sometimes, it is just something waiting to be seen differently.”
Participating in the Anadu Art Fair is an important opportunity for Adewole, giving him the chance to present his work to a wider audience and connect with people interested in contemporary art. Personally, it means a great deal to see a practice that began with his experiences of wood, his environment, and what he observed growing up reach a platform like this. Professionally, he sees it as a chance to introduce more people to his work and its message, and to meet other artists, collectors, curators, and members of the creative community. For him, it is not just about displaying artworks, but “another opportunity to communicate the idea of regeneration through my practice and to continue growing as an artist.”
Follow Adewole’s journey on Instagram: abraham_adewole
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