The hilly city of Jos would from next week witness an explosion in the arts sphere as former Super Eagles assistant manager Ben Duamlong formally exhibits his artwork he has painted over the years.
The event, titled SWITCH, is expected to be held at the National Library, Jos from November 7 to November 12.
Ben-lutnaan Duamlong was born 69 years ago and he hails from Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. The former Kaduna United coach served as a Federation International Football Association (FIFA) accredited coach of the Nigeria Super Eagles to the 2002 World Cup in Japan/Korea where he served as an assistant to Chief Festus Onigbinde.
He retired as a coach in 2014 after which he gained admission into the department of Fine and Applied Arts, Faculty of Environmental Sciences of the University of Jos, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts (2017 – 2021). He specialised in Painting and has had a Final Year Exhibition with his course mates in 2021.
The Covid-19 Pandemic which ravaged the world, particularly in 2020, provided an avenue for the artist to produce more artworks. According to the artist, the philosophy of his works and style gravitate towards the impressionistic and realistic styles of painting. He depicts his every day interactions with his surroundings and experiences with forms, as well as the human figure. His works are rendered mostly with the palette knife which creates a tactile effect on the canvas. For Duamlong, his favourite medium is oil colour on canvas, its translucency and patience to wait for it to set, both endear the artist in him to love the medium.
Part of the artworks to be showcased is a rare painting of Jay Jay Okocha. The cerebral media practitioner Mitchell Obi praised Duamung on his technique.