It is the moment to showcase the masters of the contemporary art in Nigeria. Come Saturday, December 8th, all roads will lead to the Alexis Galleries, Lagos, where 14 of Nigeria’s artists will be on display, in what is termed The Bloom I, reports Edozie Udeze
Theirs is what you can conveniently describe as ‘by their fruits you shall know them’. Theirs consist of good fruits that have shown what good and responsible arts should be over the years. Come December 8th, all roads will therefore lead to Alexis Galleries, Victoria Island, Lagos, where the masters will be holding their exhibition. These masters of the art have been on the scene between twenty to thirty-five years, ensuring that their paintings spell out who they are and what defines their profound devotion to the creation of ideas and ideals.
Titled The Bloom I and led by the following artists – Sam Ovraiti, Duke Asidere, Dominque Zinkpe, Zinno Orara, Segun Aiyesan, George Edozie, Fidelis Odogwu, Diseye Tantua, Reuben Ugbine, Abiodun Olaku, Gab Awusa. John Oyedemi, Alex Nwokolo, Edosa Ogiugo and Gbenga Offo, it is the assemblage of the best crop of Nigeria’s younger masters since the time of the likes of Aina Onabolu, Ben Enwonwu, Uche Okeke and the rest. These are artists who create from their inner souls; who rummage effusively in different and convincing art forms to hold the society spellbound.
At a press briefing in Lagos to usher in this blooming moment, five of the fourteen artists present threw more light on the concepts of the outing. But before that, the CEO of Alexis Galleries, Patty Chidiac Mastrogiannis made it clear that these great artists have stood the test of time. “Yes, their works are an exquisite crossover between traditional and contemporary art. This is the sort of skill they have impressed on global art connoisseurs in their various exhibitions across the world. They have achieved this feat by brilliant fidelity to their traditional roots, while also playing on the contemporary artistic genre. These works are wonderful”, Patty, an avid lover of creativity enthused, promising that the society would use this opportunity to view the best art can offer in Nigeria come December 8th.
Ovraiti in his remarks described theirs as works that are created from the inner soul. He said, “I am happy to meet Patty one-on-one for the first time and I am glad that I am part of this inaugural event. Most times when people start things like this we clap and sheer them on. This is what we need to do for Patty, I mean 14 of us involved in this exhibition. It is a project that is so significant and will make name in itself. I began to draw when I was eleven years. For me then there was no alternative for I had wanted to be an artist. So I became an artist, for even then I didn’t know much. My works have to be things from my inner being; something from the soul. For me art is food for the soul; it comes from the inner formation of the artist who creates it. But it is not everyone that will love your art. Yet, you have to form it and for those who love what you do you are encouraged to aspire higher and higher”.
Ovraiti who is deeply in love with colours and female images described the combination of both as the best gift of nature. “My sisters are big girls now. I have been able to see arts from their perspectives, those moments of love and happiness that blossom in them. Today my daughters are named after my sisters and when I paint women I do so, because they are exquisite works of God. So far I have painted 600 girls. In fact, I did this within then years. It is a way of plying into the soul of women, for their images attract the eye. Anywhere I go and see beautiful women, I admire them. The colourful dresses they put on help to ignite the society and make life softer. You can always see the nature of God in women. They are love and love is life.
In one of his works for the exhibition titled We are stronger together, he displays different colours of different beauties and razzmatazz. “It is let’s come together, and fight and achieve our aims. That is the essence of the work”, he said. He also has ‘that same market’.
In his works, Awusa equally rummages in the beauty of women which he confessed began the moment he went into painting. “Yes, I paint women too much”, he began as a broad smile registered on his face. “I look at the figure of women from different angles when I want to paint. In my work here titled Mood swing, it shows that at any time, a woman’s mood can change”. In a bread winner, another of his works Awusa brought to the fore the foremost role women play these days to keep the family intact. ‘Yes, women play bigger roles in the homes these days. Check out the entertainment industry where they have taken over. For me, men and women are equal before God and my works are used to make eloquent statements in that regard”.
As for Edozie, who loves to title his works in the Igbo language, the work Nne Nkisi is significant, for it explores the idiocy of both the leader and the led in Africa. The work subtitled golden fish has no hiding place where he uses the symbolism of fishes to show how many Africans who have perished on the sea while trying to cross over to Europe. “when they die, those fishes feed fat on their corpses. I suppose other fishes should swim over to that area to partake in the milieu”.
But beyond that, it is time to use the work to dissect the role of the society in this era of second slavery in Africa. While leaders do not help to manage African affairs well enough, the youths, in connivance with their parents in most cases, willingly and voluntarily move to Europe to be slaves under the guise of seeking for greener pastures. The work Ikpoku chi also spells this out more vividly especially when the female prostitutes from Nigeria are made to swear oaths of allegiance in this matter.
Tantua who drove in from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for the briefing, narrated how he now uses old cars and other automobiles to create his art. “I do so and smile to the banks,” he declared. “I use parts of old cars to make furniture. And also on my works I make jokes, or drawings which is functional structure, one of the works here for the exhibition. The second work is titled Stay your lane. The jokes make you laugh, make you soften down. Indeed my works are simple and easy to understand. When you feel the art like I do, you have to be different; you have to be cool about it. I consume and also appreciate the art”, he said. This is why his works consist of his day to day diary of events; life’s many problems and so on. And anywhere he goes, he collects jokes on the way to embellish and enrich his works and so on.
In the main, Patty promised to make this event an annual one where she picks the masters to showcase on stage thereby moving the art to the next level. She said, “Alexis Galleries wishes to establish an ongoing relationship with the commune of artists so that together, we can renew and sustain our artistic vision for mutual benefits and for the good of our respective communities and countries.
Each artist will be showing two pieces and the exhibition runs till to December 22, 2018. The exhibition is supported by Pepsi, Maikano, Delta Airline, Amarula, Nederburg, Cobranet Internet Service Provder, Cool FM, Wazobia FM/TV, Chocolate Royal, The Avenue Suites, Art Café and The Homestores Limited.
“We have supported artists to organize and showcase their works and talents through numerous exhibitions, as we desire to take the Nigerian artists to greater heights in strengthening the ever vibrant Nigerian Art Circle.”
Leave a Reply