Bolaji Teniola
Bolaji Teniola — 'Omi' Vessel, 2026
The Omi Vessel takes its form from Nigerian water pots, which were traditionally used to store, cool and purify drinking water through natural evaporation. Omi has not been crafted to hold water, but instead it carries the story of the Cupressus Macrocarpa (Monterey Cypress), from which it is comprised. The timber came from a tree that once served as a windbreaker on a dairy farm near Scott's Creek, Victoria. When the tree was eventually felled, some of its timber was acquired by local woodworker Byron Raleigh, before then making its way to Bolaji.
Using this material, Bolaji meticulously hand-planed 888 strips, each approximately 0.09mm thick. These strips were then unfurled, layered, pressed and bound with an organic adhesive, giving shape and form to Omi. Semitransparent and ephemeral, the material takes centre stage. Ambient light passes through the vessel, celebrating the grain and natural characteristics of the Cupressus Macrocarpa.
As the climate crisis grows ever more present, and in response to the ban on Victorian commercial timber harvesting, Omioffers an approach that moves away from linear, extractive, non-renewable production methods. Instead, it focuses on solutions that make use of what already exists.
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Bolaji Teniola is an interdisciplinary designer practising in Naarm/Melbourne. Holding an Associate Degree in Furniture Design and a Bachelor of Industrial Design from RMIT University, Teniola blends the knowledge gained from both disciplines to develop pieces that sit at the intersection of craft, rt, and design. Moved by a fascination with materiality, stemming from experience gained working for design studios locally and abroad, and finds joy in allowing the process to unearth pragmatic solutions. Bolaji’s works have appeared in various publications, exhibited nationally and internationally, are part of private collections, and have received several awards.
Main Gallery
May 2 - June 27, 2026
Felled reimagines timber supply sources in contemporary woodworking practice. Seven makers and designers with a specialised knowledge of timber engage the material beyond newly processed, machined slabs and find possibilities in existing materials including timber waste and plant-debris as furniture and object-design making material.
Felled joins the discussion on practices of consumption through the exploration of a single material - timber. It considers the environmental impacts of extractive processes and positions new systems of working with existing materials. The exhibition celebrates makers and their specialised practices as invaluable thinkers. It is through small-scale studio practices where deep connections to and empathy with a material sparks innovation and new thinking.
Big ideas for a better future begin in the studio.
The exhibition forms part of Conscious Craft – a Craft Victoria initiative showcasing innovative creations by makers and designers who are actively considering sustainability and ethics in their production methods and use of materials.
This event is part of Melbourne Design Week 2026, an initiative of the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria
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Material: Cupressus Macrocarpa (Monterey Cypress)
Dimensions: approx. 680 x 420 x 420mm
Please note when purchasing, exhibition works are to be collected when exhibition closes.
Shipping costs may be estimates. Please feel free to contact shop@craft.org.au who will be available to provide an Art Courier quote or shipping costs for larger items.