A new Tunde Odunlade solo show kicked off Friday, October 3 at Culture Coffee cafe on Kennedy Street in Washington, D.C.’s Brightwood neighborhood.

Tunde Odunlade addresses the crowd at the Oct. 3 show opening in Washington DC. Photo: Spencer Brown

Odunlade friends, fans, and various and assorted art lovers gathered to celebrate the artist and preview a series of new works from 2013 and 2014. The show featured the batik quilt tapestries (BQT), for which Tunde is increasingly known, as well as batiks on textiles and paper and other mixed media works.

At this show, Tunde has also introduced the mixed media and batik-on-paper works of another fast-rising Nigerian artist, Gbenga Adibi.

The exhibition will remain on display throughout the month of October, 2014.

Veronica Cooper and Saundrell Stevens opened Culture Coffee  at 7th and Kennedy Streets, N.W., a year ago next month, creating a new social and cultural focal point for the historically diverse Brightwood community. Among it’s distinctions, Brightwood is known as the site of the only Civil War battle to take place within the District of Columbia. (Cultural Tourism DC) Since then it’s been home to a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse mix of middle class working folk. A fair number of these folks – including children – seem to wander into the cafe over the course of any given week, their ranks increasingly also including visitors from other parts of the DMV, drawn to the venue by the revolving monthly showcase for both established and emerging artists.