His works of art explore migration as a constant process of transformation. Working with his signature recycled aluminum,battered wood carvings and installations, he creates works that reflect the joys, struggles and erosion of cultures and languages.The entire gamut of his art which he has exhibited widely in many parts of the world, including Nigeria, United States of America, United Kingdom, Denmark, Turkey, among others, are severe, forceful, unrelenting, coulourful, abrasive, playful and even imposing. In 2008 and 2011 ,he emerged as one of the top three winners in the reputable national art competition . His art was featured in many foreign journals and the New York Times art review in 2019. In this interview with OmolaraAkintoye, the brain behind Gerald Art Studio, Gerald Chukwuma, talks about the challenges , success stories, why artists need to collaborate, among others.
What piece of your artwork would you like to be remembered for?
For me all my artworks are like my children, I don’t value anyone more than the other because I find out that my artworks are made for people to take them. It’s like your child which you don’t want to go, yet you want him or her to get married. So to allow a part of you to go is very painful, but of course, you don’t grow unless you allow a part of you to go. My work is an extension of who I am, that also help me. So I would like to be remembered by the stories I tell which is with the only medium I can use to tell them effectively is arts which is where I’m most comfortable, where I lose the count of time, where I disappear from theuniverse and where I’m in touch with the nature. When I tell stories, I reallywant to make an impact.
How was your growing up like?
My name is Gerald Chukwuma, a Visual Artist. I did not grow up as an artist rather, my parents did not know much about arts, so as a young boy then we were all asked to try and do something. Eventually after I tried my hands on so many things, I decided to go into arts, I went to University of Nsukka, where I studied arts. My special focus was on painting but recently I tried to diversify, now I call myself a multi media artist, I’ve tried every kind of medium. Through my artwork, I’ve tried to talk about culture, creation and its effect with the use of symbols. At the same time I try to retain our language which I think is disappearing by the day.
For how long have you been practicing arts?
Well I think artists are born, but you need to discover who you are as you grow. I remember when I was 7 years, I tried to put my hands into so many things, I used to fill the walls in our room with drawings, but as we grew up, our parents informed us that we’ll all become doctors and lawyers, they didn’t really know the impact of arts and culture of a country, state or society. But I knew then that I had the skills of arts, but I was led to do something else, for two years I went to study Purchasing and Supply, I was very brilliant, I was the second best in my ND days then. But something was amiss, eventually I said to myself, its either I find myself or I’m lost, so I had to write WAEC all over again, my mum would ask me then, are you sure that art will feed you and I would say yes, of course she thinks very differently now (laughs)
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Art for me is a way of life, migration is something that inspires me, I make use of canned drinks to tell my stories, there is no migration that is not forced, it doesn’t matter what it is, if necessary things are put in place here, there is no need for migration, but because they are not available people are being forced to migrate. I’m very much interested in the effects of migration, migration has shown that we need more hands, what caused that is migration because there are more people coming into the urban. For instance I make use of canned drinks as one of the materials for my artwork, five years ago, only the cans were be- ing used but things have changed ever since. Migration has caused that because the need for drinking on the ‘go’ is here, unlike in the past when we used to return bottles. As they are expanding we are not thinking about what to do with them, the drainages, gutters, oceans are being filled everyday and unfortunately, we are noot thinking of how best to dispose them. The problem is migration and not the cans. That is just a small example of what migration can do. But I’m also interested in how we tell our stories by ourselves. This is very important for me, our stories are being told by others and therefore they have been watered down and told by convenience, the way it affects people. This is where I’m very concerned about “ArtX” which is a platform for Africa to tell African stories, that is my excitement. In the past, when I had show in London I had to write letters which will take a long process, I had to make sure I carry the works there, I have toget connected, but Art X is beginning to bridge that barrier, because it is bringing the world to Nigeria and to Africa as an extension because itsactually West Africa’s 1st International Art Fair. Four years ago, there was nothing like it. My first show at Art X forced me to migrate also. I’m bold to say that Art X has influenced positively not just me but many artists in Nigeria, it is also a trigger point for many other events, such as Art talks where we now discuss how to move art in the right direction by ourselves, and so when we discuss these things we are not taking away our culture anymore like we used to discuss outside, and so we don’t lose our culture when we discuss international things. Second, Art X has helped both established and good upcoming artists to find their international voice because I use myself as an example. My first Art X exhibition was wonderful because some international galleries. were present, it connected me to another gallery (Gallery 1957). I had my first show in a West African country. This gallery has exposed me to organise shows in countries such as Turkey, Ghana and London. To get an international exposure, you need an international art fair and an international minded galleries. So Art X is a connecting point for internationally minded galleries,international minded artists, the general public, collectors and everybody involved to meet. Every Art X comes with a better programme especially the Art Talks. In a way Art X has started to erupt programs around Art. By the time you attend Art X programs as an artist you have moved to another level, as a collector you have seen greater things as anart enthusiast you have been inspired. Art X is changing the narratives to the right direction. The 2019 Art X Fair is taking place from Friday 1st November to Sunday 3rd November. I think it’s a continuous thing and it will only get better.
If you are to organize any show, who would you like to collaborate with?
That is a wonderful question, because, the summit for this year which will come up two days before the Art Fair centers on collaboration. That is a major flaw, it’s a bit difficult for artist to collaborate in this part of the world which is not good enough.Everyday the world becomes global and then the world becomes smaller, it implies that collaboration is the only way to go. Collaboration comes in so many ways and it should be harnessed to help not just the artist but the art industry. |am completely open to any kind of collaboration because when you collaborate you find out a lot about yourself which you never knew. I’ve done that severally with the likes of Peju Alatise, very daring and inspiring artist, Emefiele Ndidi among others. For instance I just came back from an art exhibition in London ‘Contemporary 154’ which focuses on African Art. Some of the best African ‘artists’ from all over the world were present and I exhibited with them. How did I collaborate with them, this art fair made it possible. Collaboration can take you far, I’ve collaborated with so many artists that I would not ordinarily have been able to, that is what collaboration can do. It is a cultural blend that is very important for every creative industry. Migration has to make us collaborate, otherwise there will be trouble.
How were you able to cope with challenges?
I don’t talk about trying times because if you have a vision and you keep moving on, it is only a matter of time, things will get better. Collaboration and plagiarism are major, challenges but it is not peculiar to the industry. Another challenge is working long enough, many people don’t work long enough, and to bring out the best in a creative mind, you need long time. Time has a way of bringing out the best in anybody. My joy comes from producing the work, you discover that there is a God factor in creative art. I had to break barriers to get international recognition
What are you doing to raise another generation of artists?
That to me is very scary because there are no platforms for that in this industry, andagain I’ll make reference to Art X because opportunities abound on the platform.In the art industry, it has been said over and over again that art is not about money and I completely agree, but if it is not about money, it cost about a thousand dollars to fly to the exhibition in London ,who pays for it? who pays for the hotel accommodation and moving the artworks to the venue of the Show?
Then we need to talk about the hard talk which is money, in fact I advocate that in school curriculum, there should be financial management in the fine art. We must have that knowledge. There has been discussion around it, for instance I told the Vice Chancellor University of Nigeria, Nsukka recentlywhen he asked me to come and teach Fine Arts in the University, I gave him one condition that he should build a furniture factory because we have sculptor graduates who come out and they don’t fit into the mainstream. How many sculptors do we have to be frizzling away, but they can be diverted to functionality, and the pedigree the name Furniture University of Nigeria, Nsukka is enough to sell it. I call this silent conspiracy to put the artists down. On my part, I have had students from University of Lagos who come to my gallery for their project, and every year I take 2 people and I nurture them, I go round to other universities as well. The younger generations get interested if they know that this will monetize their future for them otherwise they will lose interest. I also sponsor some students. Finally collaboration is very important in this industry.
What is your advice to young persons following your footsteps?
My advice to them is to work hard, I work with things I pick on the road, in the creative industry, the only thing you have is your creative ability, which comes from the brain. I work everyday so that I can get used to the material and to a point that the material can speak to me, that to me is a relationship and that is the best form of expression. Also, you must read a lot which is very important.
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