Arts Commons has unveiled a new gallery and set piece by local artist gbohunmi titled “NOT flies in milk.” The gallery installation features a multitude of black-and-white photos that showcase Black models overpowering a white background. 

A Nigerian-born artist, gbohunmi uses his voice to create pieces that mirror his ideals. Whether through fashion, photography, film, or music, his art ultimately reflects what it means to be gbohunmi. 

The idea for the set piece came about as gbohunmi just wanted to do a photoshoot in his apartment hallway. Having wanted to do something there for a while, gbohunmi only had two goals for this photoshoot: to shoot photos with Black people, and to have them in suits.

The origin of the name for the gallery stems from something more serious. It comes from an incident in gbohunmi’s childhood where a teacher made a comment that stuck with him. At the time, ghobunmi was the only Black kid in his class.

“It's just like a sea of white kids, and then me, and then a sea of white kids,” said gbohunmi “And I remember a teacher making a comment like, ‘dang, you're like a fly in milk.’ And I always remember thinking it's such a wild statement to make, especially to a kid.”

He continues, “So then that was the original concept was like, it's kind of to shine a spotlight on them. And then also to kind of play on that idea, but more to refute it.”

NOT flies in milk showcases Black lives as the opposite of a nuisance or an annoyance, but as something to be celebrated.  

“Who wants flies in their milk? It's not something you want” says gbohunmi. “As I said the original idea was supposed to be an all-white background, the Black ended up dominating and even though, you would say nuisance, the Black still ends up dominating. So it's like, regardless of how you cut it, we're not the nuisance that we're portrayed to be. Instead, we end up dominating more culturally, and other aspects as well.”

This is not his only piece presented at Arts Commons as gbohunmi’s videography skills are also on display in the Broadcast Labs. Showcasing four out of 10 films created in the summer of 2022: Forest, The Kid, Misery and The Dream Girl, gbohunmi created these pieces with the challenge of trying to create a full, comprehensive story within a one-minute time frame.

What started out as a small endeavour to do more concept portraiture with his partner –– after being inspired by a friend of his –– ended up as multiple film projects spanning the entire summer. These short pieces range in topics from being stuck in purgatory to trying to shoot your shot with someone you might pass by every day. 

The reason he made them? Because they were fun.

“Honestly, I wouldn't be doing it wasn't fun for me” gbohunmi states. “That's one thing I find interesting, as I've worked on bigger budget films, or films in general, is for some people, it's more like a work per se. I don't view it that way.” 

He continues, “I just wanted to make things that I was proud of, and for people and myself to enjoy. So it's like, if anything, just enjoy. If you don't see every reference or don't get everything, that's perfectly fine. They're there, but like, that's for you to enjoy.”

These pieces were just the beginning though and it doesn’t end there. gbohunmi has also been working on a longer short story titled All is not forgotten. Clocking in at over 18 minutes in length, the film is inspired by classics such as Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Martin Scorsese’s GoodFellas. 

The idea for creating this larger piece came after his application to join the International Cinematographers Guild (ICG) was denied in early 2023. After being unsure about what to do next, he decided that he would just make his own film. 

“One of my biggest strengths is that ability to pivot,” says gbohunmi. “My girlfriend always says ‘everything always works out for you.’ But I tell her that's just because I don't stop trying. It's not luck. It's almost stubbornness, or just like, lack of being defeated.”

From January to March, gbohunmi worked on creating the script, filming took place in June, and in that same month, he completed editing the film.

A crime-inspired film, gbohunmi takes his unique flair, interpretation, and artistic expression to make his own original story. If you want to see more of his work, you can check out his current installations as well as other installations at Arts Commons from now until September 4, 2023. As well as on his webpage.

“It feels great to feel appreciated,” he says. “I physically enjoy shooting, I physically enjoy editing, I physically enjoy writing, so I'm satisfied…and institutions like Arts Commons, recognizing me like, ‘hey, we want to share this with even more people,’ that's something I really do appreciate.”