Author: The Nation

Seven budding Nigerian artists, who are members of the Elbowroom Art Movement, have deployed their art works as tool to explore Nigeria’s history, culture, and identity while also rewriting perceived skewed narratives about Nigeria. Their paintings, which highlight the contributions of Nigeria and Nigerians to the world economy, were on display at the opening of an art exhibition held at DIDI Museum, Lagos, over the weekend, with the theme ‘Decolonizing History: Reclaiming Nigerian Identity.’ Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA reports on the exploits of some of the young and talented artists.

They are art works that tell vivid and compelling stories that resonate with the collective push by Nigerians and Africans to change the narrative of how art and artists should been seen in Nigeria and globally.

And the fact that the kind of narratives these awe-inspiring art works by a group of  young and talented Nigerian artists seek to change or rewrite are those believed to have been skewed against Nigeria and its people makes them even more compelling. 

Indeed, Nigeria, a country known for its diverse culture, rich history, and abundant natural resources, unfortunately, has often been portrayed in a negative light due to a limited understanding of its history and the complex challenges it has faced in the past.

It was against this backdrop that seven budding Nigerian artists, who are members of the Elbowroom Art Movement, decided to leverage their creativity to address the negative stereotypes and misconceptions that have been perpetuated about Nigeria and its people over the years.

Elbowroom Art Movement is a Nigerian art movement founded in 2016 in Abuja, Nigeria. Its aim was to promote freedom of expression without borders in art, with a focus on realism, and to establish a vibrant artistic community in Nigeria.

The Movement encourages artistic freedom for its members, provides a platform for artists to explore their creativity and express themselves without limitations or constraints.

The Movement, which started from Abuja, but has members in Canada, France and Lagos, also promotes realism by fostering the appreciation and practicing of realistic art techniques, while also emphasizing the importance of skills and craftsmanship.

It facilitates artistic exchange, develops a strong network of artists, collectors, curators, and art enthusiasts and fosters collaborations and interactions among local and international artists to share ideas, techniques, and perspectives.

Seven young Nigerian artists, namely Olorunyemi Kolapo, Adeshina Adeodu, Bolaji Onaolapo, Kenan M. Peter, Taiwo Olamide Olasunmade, Peter Eneji and Tewasi Jonah (Terry), who are members of the Movement, presented a selection of their paintings at the opening of an art exhibition held at DIDI Museum, Lagos, over the weekend.

The exhibition was themed ‘Decolonizing History: Reclaiming Nigerian Identity.’ and its aim was to showcase Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage while addressing the negative stereotypes and misconceptions that have been perpetuated about the country and its people.

To this end, the exhibition, which took place from Saturday, June 17 to Saturday, June 24, 2023, showcased various works of art that explore Nigeria’s history, culture, and identity. This includes works that highlight the country’s pre-colonial history, as well as pieces that explore the impact of colonization and how it has shaped the country’s identity.

The exhibition also featured contemporary works that speak to the challenges and opportunities facing Nigeria today. For instance, a charcoal and acrylic on canvas drawing by Bolaji Onaolapo, one of the talented Nigerian visual artists, depicts a young boy with so much determination in his eyes to rise above the limits set on him. 

With the boy’s hand on his head, he looks ahead with a mind filled with courage and resilience. His wire-fenced wall shrinking, yet the vibrant background signifying the abundance of resources the boy has to offer. The fence signifies the negative stereotypes and acts as a boundary that the boy can’t cross. Through this artwork, Kwara State-born Onaolapo, who is a 2014 holder of BTech (Building), from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, explored the theme of decolonization and reclamation of Nigerian identity by showing the courage and determination of a young Nigerian in the face of negative stereotypes and false set limits.

The painting by Kenan M. Peter, also known as Kaynan Kayphas, an Abuja-based Nigerian artist, is no less remarkable and captivating. Using oil on canvas, the Jebba, Kwara State-born artist portrayed the majestic King of Benin seated with both hands gracefully clasped together.

Behind the King, a monumental sight unfolds-the once mighty Great Wall of Benin, a colossal structure that dwarfs even the renowned Great Wall of China, stretching four times in size. The painting encapsulates the grandeur, history, and cultural significance of the Benin Kingdom.

Similarly, drawing inspiration from Fela Anikulapo’s song titled ‘Lady Awelewa,’ meaning ‘beautiful one; the work of Nigerian artist Olorunyemi Kolapo celebrates the beauty and strength of African women, encouraging them to reclaim their stories and redefine their identities on their own terms.

Kolapo’s painting titled ‘The Resilient Spirits: Awelewa Awakens,’ builds upon these ideas and explores the process of decolonizing Nigeria’s history through the lens of female empowerment. These women symbolize the strength, grace, and resilience of the African spirit, transcending the confines of colonial narratives and embracing a powerful identity.   

Kolapo, who is an Abuja based self-taught artist, marries art and science (Physics) to investigate and illustrate emotions through portraiture using oil and charcoal with the science knowledge he gained after graduating with a BSC in Applied Physics.

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He has participated in both local and international exhibitions and residency programmes like Modzi Art in Zambia, World Art Dubai, Art Expo New York, and Last Image Show, Tanzania, among others.

Interestingly, Kolapo is the founder of Elbow Room Arts Movement. He told The Nation that the reason behing floating the Movement was because many artists in the industry right now that actually studied Fine Arts are not doing so well in the industry. According to him, those who didn’t study arts like him are the ones actually doing arts.

His words: “I just found out that the major reason why this is happening is because of freedom, as those of them that went to school are limited to what they were taught in school and they find it difficult to operate within that cage. That was the reason I founded Elbow Room Arts Movement to enable young artists to have the liberty to create whatever they want to create without limitations.”

Kolapo further said most artists that graduated from the universities paint like their favorite lecturers so, they have been boxed to a corner. “The bridge between the two artists is just freedom and that’s what we are bringing to the table for everyone.

“So, what we do is engage in different activities and exhibitions like this, including going to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to talk to them and also go to motherless baby’s homes and work with them,” he stated, adding that plans are underway to take the exhibition to France and London by January and maybe late next year for U.S.”

Kolapo was emphatic that art is a lucrative business. “When I started arts, I didn’t know there is money in arts; I was just doing arts for the passion, I didn’t care if I make money or not. But I later discovered its very lucrative.

“I am a family man with kids and this is what I do full-time. I am not living less; I am living at least above average. I have been many to many countries in the world through the arts. It’s actually a very lucrative business,” he said.

He also said arts can contribute over N5 billion annually to the Nigerian economy. “We have artists whose works are worth N200 million. We have artists like Olufemi Oluwole whose works were auctioned in Europe. We have other artists too who are doing exploits all over the world,” he told The Nation.

Perhaps, as proof of the lucrative nature oif the business, Kolapo said prices of artworks on display at the exhibition range from N300, 000 to N900, 000.

He, however, said for a career artist, the cost artworks is determined by his portfolio, i.e. how known he is, how many works he has sold before, how many exhibitions he has done all over the world, coupled with size. But size, according to him, is the least thing to consider when pricing.

As lucrative as the art industry is, Kolapo said he does not believe so much in government support for operators in the industry, noting that he has been to countries where governments are supporting the arts yet limiting the arts. He said, for instance, that in places like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Russia, and Germany, government support the artists, but the artists do what they (government) want them to do.

 “But Nigerian artists seem to be the purest artists in the world because we have zero support from the government,” Kolapo said.

He, however, said much as he is not so much into support from government, the Nigerian government can rethink some of its policies that hinder the art industry from blossoming and contributing significantly to the economy.

Kolapo’s words: “For instance, when we are traveling out with our artworks, we have Customs, Immigration disturbing us on the way, trying to extort us and take a lot of money from us, telling us to go and get one paper or the other.

 “Also, when we want to ship our works outside the country, they (government agencies) impose heavy charges on us. Imagine shipping out a N500, 000 worth of artwork and they are charging N300, 000 for a clearance paper. So, if they can actually make it easy for us to sell our works outside, because we are actually adding value to the economy that will help.”

On the theme of the exhibition, the budding artist said: “Before now, pre and post-colonial, people that write our stories are actually Westerners. They write those stories to suite their own beliefs and to suite what they want to portray about us.

“Now, we want to decolonize those histories too, those histories that were written about us. For instance, they tell us the biggest wall in the world was the China Wall. But it is not true; it’s the Benin Wall.

“They also said the richest man in the world was Solomon. But  it wasn’t Solomon; it was Mansa Musa, the 14th Century King of Mali.”