By Raphael Oni
“Sculpting Emotion with Salt” Inside Tobun Olubukola’s Experimental Art Exhibition
In an age dominated by digital art tools and conventional artistic mediums, multidisciplinary artist Tobun Olubukola is redefining creative expression using one of the most unexpected materials imaginable salt.
Through her online solo exhibition titled Salt Art Exhibition, Olubukola captivated audiences with intricately crafted salt artworks featuring wolves, zebras, birds, and emotionally symbolic animal portraits that explore themes of survival, vulnerability, identity, love, and human connection.
The exhibition, originally conceptualized on February 26, 2025, drew attention not only for its visual uniqueness but also for the emotional depth embedded within each fragile creation.
Speaking during an interview with an Arts & Culture Correspondent, Olubukola explained that salt became central to her artistic language because of its universal yet overlooked nature.
“Salt is ordinary, fragile, and universal at the same time,” she said. “Everybody knows it, everybody uses it, but very few people see it as a serious artistic material. I wanted to transform something people overlook daily into something emotional and visually powerful.”
According to the artist, salt carries powerful symbolism linked to preservation, healing, purification, survival, and pain — themes that naturally shaped the body of work.
One of the exhibition’s most discussed pieces featured a wolf wearing a protective nose mask, symbolizing survival and emotional isolation during the COVID-19 lockdown era.
Olubukola described the artwork as a reflection of how even the strongest beings experience fear, uncertainty, and vulnerability.
“Wolves are associated with strength and freedom, but placing a mask on the wolf introduced vulnerability,” she explained. “It became a reflection of modern society — how people hide emotions, protect themselves, and navigate invisible threats.”
Animals remained a recurring visual language throughout the exhibition, with zebras representing identity and contrast, while birds symbolized companionship, intimacy, and peace within chaotic urban environments.
The artist revealed that some works carried deeply personal emotional connections, especially the “love birds in the city” piece, which reflected themes of belonging and relationships.
Despite the exhibition’s striking visuals, Olubukola admitted that working entirely with salt presented significant technical challenges.
“Salt is extremely delicate. Small movements can destroy hours of work,” she said. “There were moments I had to restart pieces repeatedly because the structure collapsed or the texture changed unexpectedly.”
She noted that the imperfections became part of the artistic process itself, reinforcing themes of fragility and impermanence.
Unlike traditional gallery installations, the Salt Art Exhibition was hosted entirely online — a deliberate decision aimed at increasing accessibility and global reach.
According to the artist, the digital presentation created a compelling contrast between temporary handmade artworks and the permanence offered by internet preservation.
“I wanted someone from anywhere in the world to experience the exhibition without physical limitations,” Olubukola stated. “The artworks are fragile, but technology gives them a longer life and wider audience.”
Beyond aesthetics, the artist hopes audiences leave the exhibition with a broader understanding of creativity and unconventional artistic possibilities.
“Art can be made from anything and mean everything,” she said. “I want people to rethink what art materials can be and feel emotion before explanation.”
Looking ahead, Olubukola says she plans to continue experimenting with material-based storytelling while expanding into more immersive digital exhibitions and symbolic visual experiences.
For the artist, the exhibition marks the beginning of a much larger creative journey exploring fragility, transformation, identity, and emotional truth through unconventional mediums.
About the Artist
Tobun Olubukola is a multidisciplinary artist known for experimenting with unconventional materials and symbolic visual storytelling. Her recent online solo exhibition explored emotional and social themes through intricately crafted salt artworks featuring animals, urban symbolism, and themes of vulnerability and human connection.
Published by Ameh Gabriel
