Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

One of Nigeria’s pioneer graduate artists, Mr Timothy Adebanjo Fasuyi, will be 82 next Wednesday, April 19. The TAFAS Legacy Gallery founder and former federal art adviser speaks with Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME on his 40-year art sojourn, why he left service voluntarily five years before his retirement age, his love for art, education and his covenant with God to reincarnate as an artist, among other issues.  

When you turned 80, the celebration was low key. Why?
Naturally, I don’t celebrate birthdays. I only mark them. As for my 80th birthday, I planned for it but cancelled the major events because I lost a very close friend – the Oyo State former Commissioner for Health Dr. Olu Onawumi – who was to be part of the celebration. He died on Thursday of same week of the celebration. I summoned courage to host few events like handing over the church I built to the mission at Ilesa, presentation of awards of scholarship as well as the exhibition entitled: 80 for 80.
What are the activities for this year’s celebration?
It is a week-long art celebration starting on Monday, April 17, with an art exhibition entitled: Retrospective sixty years of easel experience at TAFAS Legacy Gallery, House 1, Badagry Street, off Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja, Lagos. It will feature 82 works of art dating back to 1957, when I was a student in Zaria. The special guest is former Vice Chancellor, University of Benin, Prof Adamu Baikie; it will be chaired by retired Judge of Lagos State, Justice S.O. Ilori. On Tuesday, there will be a colloquium on Fasuyi and his contributions to arts, while on Wednesday, there will be a family worship and get-together with my children and grand children at TAFAS Legacy Gallery. On Thursday and Friday, there will be an art competition organised by the Society of Nigerian Artists among art students in Lagos. On Saturday, there will be a dinner with Society of Nigerian Artists at TAFAS Legacy Gallery.
What are your plans to sustain TAFAS Legacy Gallery?
I have no plans to succeed myself. God has the ultimate plan, but for those who say their children will succeed them and continue with their programme I wish them well. To be on the safe side, I am going to set up a committee comprising myself and some notable artistes. To set up a befitting gallery where people can come and see my art works. There will also be exhibitions from time to time, to be managed by my son, Wale Fasuyi. On the first and ground floors, he has a collection of works that he will exhibit here and sell. I am trying to retain most of my works here for generations to see.
Beyond this arrangement, are there other facilities at the gallery that will interest the art community?
The whole house was designed as a cultural centre with approval from the Lagos State Government. The original exhibition arena was to be a stage for drama. People would sit line by line and in layers facing the stage.
After trying it on two or three occasions, it didn’t work because those who live on the Island do not come here. I have used the centre to host two or three functions, including a retirement party.
Over the years, functions have been held in the hall. The ground floor of the centre was converted to permanent hall for exhibition of art.
Twenty years ago, I went to my home town Ilesa to establish a school. By the time I completed the school and returned to Lagos, I had lost contact with some of my friends. That is why this centre has been under-utilised. What I am trying to do now is to revive the centre. Though revival has been done physically, it is left for us to get a function attached to it. In addition, there is a company called So Centre, which has the remaining part of the building. There is a conference centre that can sit about 50 people; a computer room and offices for art works and other things. There are other facilities that can be used by artists.
There will be a board of trustees that will ensure that the artworks are well kept and an administrator will be appointed. Also, there will be a shop where art works, local crafts and Wale Fasuyi’s paintings and sculptures will be sold.
You said the 20-year stay at Ilesa made you lose your close friends and thus affected your plans for the legacy. How?
It is not about losing friends in the arts but losing the stamina to continue at 82. I am not as strong as I was at 60. I remember I spent 20 years at Ilesa and about two years ago I returned to Lagos. My stay at Ilesa afforded me the opportunity to establish a replica of Pre-Varsity Centre at Ilesa to cater for the needs of people in that area.
Why did you retire voluntarily from civil service five years before retirement age?
First, the retirement age then was 55. But, I chose to retire at 50 because the Art Centre project I was building was funded with a bank loan. Staying back in civil service meant that I would have a longer time to repay the loan. But, I felt that I could offset the loan easily if I had good time to produce artworks for sale, hence the decision to pull out before retirement age.
Interestingly, I did just that, including hawking my works at embassies and foreign cultural centres at the British Council, and German Cultural Centre and Italian Cultural Centre (USIS). I would drop the works with them and call back after a week or two during which some of the works would have been bought. That was how I gradually took up the running of the centre and later the Pre-Varsity School.
The second and third generation of Zaria artists shared the tradition of putting up a monument that will outlive them. Is it deliberate?
Starting from me, we are a new generation of graduate artists in Nigeria and one of the complexes we have is that we are trying to be equal to other professions – engineers, bankers and suveyors, among others who build monuments. At that time, we were not so sure of societal acceptance.
The easiest way for an artist to build a monument is to build a museum or a gallery for artworks, which is more relevant to his profession. Others run schools. These are areas of survival provided one’s curriculum shows a consideration for arts, which is the basis of the plan.
Every professional, including journalists and publishers, can make a monument out of their works. It will go a long way in impacting the larger society than building a private house.
Between education and the arts, which is your favourite?
Let me tell you a story. One of the reasons I came back to arts was because when I went to a church the pastor preached about the biblical parable of the talents. I thought the pastor was addressing me, since God gave me two talents in arts and education management.
I succeeded in education management. I moved from being a classroom teacher at King’s College, Lagos to Queen’s School, Federal Government College, and later became Director for all Federal Government Colleges and I got to the peak of educational career. So, I asked myself, what about arts? And I decided to live up to it. I told myself that if the parable is true, and God asked me what I did with my arts, I would tell him I left behind a legacy of producing chairmen, politicians and the like.
It is not easy to differentiate between career and work. Life is education, art is education. Art is life and education is life. So, there is no way I can stop it.
Most of the things I did in the ministry were through my creative thinking, because I held an important post that had not been held by an artist before and God helped me to succeed. I did not forget arts, which was the basis of my thinking. They are both the same, but I have spent so much time on education than on arts. Now, I have a lot more works than some artists. I did not only develop the minds, but helped artists as their leader. Almost every artist who is important today among the old generation has gone through me for one thing or the other, including providing them with jobs.
Is the exhibition a makeup for your lost days in the art?
It is not making up for the loss but trying to fulfill another aspect and talent God gave me. I paint anytime of the day. In fact, there is no age in the practice of arts. It is like talking because you talk till you drop dead whether it makes sense or not.
At 82, are you fulfilled looking back at your career?
It has been a rewarding and fulfilling life. When I was leaving Ilesa as a teenager my father gave me three instructions: Never to be far from my God, be fair to all and be honest. I put these together to run my life. I am not poor or rich. Again, whether I was exhibiting or not, I was still painting. The last exhibition I held was in 1984 sponsored by Total Oil at Institute of International Affairs, Paris, France. I made enough money to fund my daughter’s wedding. Mind you, as artists of that era, we tried to prove that we were also important in the society. Whenever job took me out of the country, I always go with my brushes and pad. I did paint and sell works to diplomats.
If you are given the chance to relive your life all over again, what aspect of your life will you redress?
My main reason of coming back to art is to ensure that God does not deprive me of art when I reincarnate. I will still request for education and art. I will still like to teach because teaching is a disciplined profession. When you build your life around time table, you are a disciplined man. I don’t want to be a very rich man because it is a waste. What is important is having the basics of life. If any father gives his son N12billion, chances are that he will squander it.

Professor of African and African Diaspora Art, and author, Postcolonial Modernism: Art and Decolonisation in Twentieth Century Nigeria, Chika Okeke-Agulu, has presented his latest book, Obiora Udechukwu: Line, Image and Text, at the African Artists Foundation (AAF) in Lagos. He speaks with Assistant Editor (Arts) Ozolua Uhakheme on why he wrote books on two of his teachers and their contributions to his career, among other issues.  

Considering the number of books you have published, you seem to be very much in touch with the Nigerian art and artists, unlike some Nigerian artists in Diaspora. What is the attraction?
I was fully formed in Nigeria before I left in 1997 because I was dismissed from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. That was why I left Nigeria. It was not that I wanted to leave. When you think of the fact that I was fully formed in Lagos and Nsukka before I left in 1996, there was absolutely no way I was not going to be coming back to Nigeria. If I have a choice I would not be outside of Nigeria, it is as simple as that. I still have much of my research based in Nigeria. And most of my books are based on Nigerian art and artists. I have my colleagues here in Nigeria…The feeling that I publish a book per year simply shows how frequent I publish books.
What informs the choice of Obiora Udechukwu for this book project?
There are two things going on here: I have a personal relationship with Obiora Udechukwu who was my teacher, just like El Anatsui was. And that is never going to stop. But I am also a scholar and a student of art, historian and curator. When I identify a significant work, it does not matter who made it. It just happened that one of the artists I considered significant is one of my teachers. I have written and published on El Anatsui as one of the most significant sculptors in the 21st century. He also was my teacher. If tomorrow, it is the turn of Yusuf Grillo, he is not my teacher. But I identified Grillo as one of the most astute painters in Nigeria, It has nothing to do with how much his works sell on auction. I have been studying his works long before the advent of auction houses in Nigeria. Ulli Beier in the 60s stated that of all the Zaria artists, Grillo was the most masterful colourist. This is based on his students’ works. So, if I have followed Grillo’s works it is because of what I have identified as a supreme colourist that deserves critical attention, which, unfortunately, has not happened. That’s why I am taking up a book project on Grillo. Again, it matters and also does not matter if I have a relationship with Obiora. It might be Oshinowo tomorrow. I may not be producing one book a year, but you can be sure that there will be many more books on Nigerian arts. At the level I practice, you have to be productive or you don’t exist.
What is that relationship between you and Obiora Udechukwu?
There are three people you will ever hear me identify as my teacher: Udechukwu, Anatsui and Sydney Kasfair of Emery University. Of course I was taught by many teachers at the Department of Fine Art. But, you would not hear me identifying them as my teacher. Why I identify them as teacher is because they went beyond the call of duty. And these are men and woman who have gone beyond the mere fact of relationship as student and teacher. They taught me not just the ways of imagination, which most teachers are unable to teach. That’s one thing I learnt from them and has kept our relationship till today.
What are the challenges of writing a book on your teacher?
Obiora is an archivist and he kept his materials, unlike some artists who do not keep their archival materials. Obiora has made it very easy to gather the materials for the book. But, publishing a book involves gathering the materials and knowing what to do with the materials. This is where the scholarly resources that one has would come to bear on the materials in terms of producing the manuscript and the book, the usual challenges of scholarship, tracking down archival information and all of that.
However, I had a generous support from Ford Foundation and Princeton University that paid for my time. Also, I also worked with a fantastic publisher in Milan.
Is it a matter of fashion that you chose to publish the book in ‘coffee table’ size?
The book also functions as a kind of gallery because the images are not likely to be seen in public anytime soon. It is a good alternative to encountering the original images. So, it was a deliberate choice I made to pay attention to images. Another reason is that works of African and Nigerian artists do not receive respect as images as works of art in terms of how they are presented in books.
So, what this book offers is closer and direct encounter with the images framed by the text. Some are essays, conversations and interviews in separate areas, and when you are reading text you know you are reading text, and when you are looking at images you know you are viewing images. This is what I feel is new in terms of publishing on Nigerian arts. The attention to images is something I am hoping Obiora’s book will encourage authors and scholars to begin to do in going forward.

In a recession, culture can help out, say experts who met under the auspices of the Nigerian Oral Literature Association (NOLA) at the University of Ibadan (UI) in preparation for their world conference  next year . Evelyn Osagie reports.

The oral arts in all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria can generate N5million employment opportunities, culture experts have said.
The experts blamed the recession in the country on the neglect of the culture sector and its resources, observing that culture possesses all the ingredient of economic revival.
While calling for the construction of more industries based on cultural resources and practices, they urged government at all levels to increase support for the promotion of the sector.
The experts spoke at a meeting under the auspices of the Nigerian Oral Literature Association (NOLA) executives, and members of the Planning Committee for the 2018 International Society for the Oral Literatures of Africa (ISOLA) conference, billed to hold in the country.
The meeting, held at the University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State, had in attendance notable scholars and culture advocates led by NOLA President, Prof Godini G. Darah of the Delta State University (DELSU). He aligned with the Campaign for Cultural Heritage (CCH), calling for the implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) to which Nigeria is a signatory.
According to Darah, with about 500 languages and hundreds of ethnic groups, “Nigeria is a major contributor to the world’s cultural heritage and a beneficiary of the UNESCO Convention”.
However, he decried the abandonment of the culture sector, noting that the neglect was responsible for the “country’s economic backwardness, mass poverty, corruption, criminal acts, insurgent revolts, and disorientation of children, youth, and adults”.
He said: “Nigeria’s cultural heritage constitutes the foundation of her existence and national identity. Culture is the treasure base of domains of knowledge, languages, ideas, philosophy, skills, creativity, economy, technology, security, morality, ethics, and principles of inter-group relations. These fields of cultural expression and creativity have undergone changes and adaptation in response to evolving reality and the environment
“Owing to the marginalisation of indigenous cultural assets, governments and the ruling elite waste resources and opportunities by seeking solutions from the very western powers and institutions that caused, and benefit from our economic woes and socio-political confusion.”
In his view, government at all levels has statutory responsibilities by way of policy-making to support the promotion of cultural resources.
“However, there is an imperative need to establish more institutional and organisational platforms to raise awareness about the UNESCO Convention in relation to the primacy of culture in creativity and sustainable national development. The survival of people as human species and as creators, inventors, and transmitters of languages, ideas, skills, and technology is dependent on their capacity to sustain the essential institutions and elements of their culture. Culture is the reason for our humanity. We are human because we create and express culture; we create and own culture to renew and enhance our common humanity.”
The critical areas of the convention were discussed and NOLA’s involvement in the campaign for its implementation in Nigeria formed part of the deliberations at the UI meeting of culture experts. And as part of its sensitisation drive, NOLA will be having interactive sessions with the Minister of Information and Culture, the various agencies of the Ministry, the UNESCO Abuja Office, and Federal Minister of Finance.
Darah said: “The objective of these interactive meetings includes the imperative need to assure the government that NOLA and other professional bodies have the requisite human capital to enable Nigeria to implement the UNESCO Convention. Besides, NOLA hopes to engage the Ministries of Finance and Budget/Economic Planning to demonstrate creative ways to generate millions of jobs and enterprises from cultural resources to reflate and diversify the Nigerian economy.
“For example, a countrywide collection and translation of oral arts in all six geopolitical zones in the country can generate N5million direct and indirect employment opportunities. The materials collected and classified can be documented in multiple media formats, besides the publication in book form, pamphlets, and posters.”
The meeting reviewed preparations for hosting the 12th ISOLA conference.
It would be recalled that the hosting rights were granted to NOLA last year at the 11th Conference of ISOLA in Florida, United States. Interestingly, UI would be playing host to both conferences, it was learnt. With Darah as 2018 ISOLA convener, Prof Ademola Dasylva of the University of Ibadan as chairman of 2018 ISOLA and 2017 NOLA conferences, it was decided that NOLA would hold its fifth conference in the last quarter of the year to serve as prelude to the 2018 ISOLA’s.
According to Darah, the university is the host institution, being the cradle of the scholarship on African oral literature from the 1960s, adding that it has produced some of the greatest figures in creative writing and performance arts that celebrate Africa’s oral cultural heritage.
The theme of this year’s NOLA is: The Oral Art and popular music in Nigeria.
According to Dasylva, it was a great honour to have both events hold in the UI, adding that the role of the institution in the development of culture and oral literature cannot be overemphasised. While emphasising the educational cultural and economic benefits such events hold, he called for support from the government, corporate bodies and culture lovers.
The meeting also deliberated on some projects to be undertaken by NOLA as part of the preparation for ISOLA 2018; approved tentative titles of books and special publications to be produced under the aegis of NOLA – the books and manuals are to be published for exhibition at the ISOLA conference as a token of Nigeria’s pivotal position in the global family of oral literature scholarship and cultural development.
Some of the titles include (i) Treasure Books on Nigerian Oral Literatures in six volumes, with a volume each devoted to the six geo-political zones of Nigeria; (ii) Studies on Nigerian Popular Music; (iii) Proverbs, Riddles, and Aphorisms Across Nigeria; (iv) Women and Children in Nigerian Performance Arts; (v) Oral Literature and Nollywood Film Industry; (vi) Oral Traditions and Tourism Business in Nigeria; and (vii) The Arts and Literatures of Nigerian Festivals (this is to be published with the Cambridge Scholars publishers in the United Kingdom).
Also at the event were Prof Olusegun Adekoya of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife and Editor-in-Chief of NOLA journal; Dr Okey Okwechime of University of Benin (Treasurer of NOLA); Mr Peter Omoko of Delta State College of Physical Education (Membership Secretary, NOLA); Ms Evelyn Osagie of The Nation (Publicity Secretary, NOLA); Prof Bola Sotunsa of Babcock University; Prof A. Adekambi of the Department of Classics, UI.
Others from UI were Prof Dele Layiwola, Prof D. A. Adeleke, Prof Oha Obododinma, Prof Folake Onoyemi-Oritsegbubemi, and Prof Sola Olorunyomi.

Life is a transition, a shadow of human participation on earth. So was that of the late Ben Osaghae, 55, a contemporary artist, who passed on in January.
In his honour, an evening of tributes was held recently at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos. Put together by the Guild of Professional Fine Artists of Nigeria (GFA), the event attracted art lovers, collectors, friends and Osaghae’s colleagues. They all gave accolades to the artist, who they said would be greatly missed.
It was all emotional as many poured out their hearts on their last encounter with the late Osaghae and acknowledged that he had, indeed, made indelible imprints on the sand of time, and that his works and contributions in the art sector have enriched the history of contemporary art.
Among the dignitaries who attended the event were the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Afred Nnaemeka Achebe, a friend of the artist and a collector of his works. In his tribute, Igwe Achebe said the artist would live forever as he left a body of works behind.
He said patrons of art, galleries and artists have a role to play to support artists who are in difficulties. “At least there is a need that through a fund all of us can collectively support any artist in distress. It’s not just the money, but you create the fund, the network and individual support through dialogue,” he added.
He said he was ready to play his part in supporting the idea once an organisation was established to see to the welfare of artists who are incapacitated or going through one challenge or the other.
He observed that there was need for the government to support the creative industry, saying: “Even if it is to carry placards in Abuja led by me, to convince the government to support creative art in Nigeria, I will do it.”
Former President of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), Kolade Oshinowo, said of all the tributes paid to the artist, one question was ignored, which is the lesson learnt from the demise of Osaghae. “When I was the president of SNA, always raised the issue of artists paying attention, not only to their studio practice. They should pay attention to their finances because if your finances are in distress it will affect your creativity. They should pay attention to their loved ones, their well-being, especially their health. The tendencies are that we all get consumed with practice that you forget about checking up and looking after ourselves.
“A lot of us didn’t know that Ben was ill. I didn’t know. I saw him in September, in December he was at my show. I didn’t know that something was wrong. It was when he died that I started to hear some of the health challenges that he was going through. But, he handled it so deceptively that you will not know, but those who are very close to him knew about it. It’s unfortunate.’’
‘’But as it has been said, he left a body of works that people are not going to forget in a hurry because his paintings are backed by a lot of deep philosophy. Osaghae had a very peculiar style. For those who are not well schooled in art, they might easily wave it away that this one is not serious – how can he leave canvas like this unfinished … well, that is how he works. A minimalist, few for more,” he added.
Olu Ajayi, who anchored the event, said the artist would be missed for many reasons. But as a painter his bold brush strokes, choice of colour, idiosyncratic style and artistic ability to provide social commentary through his art would, perhaps, be the most enduring gift he had left us to savour, enjoy and think about.
“Just like yesterday, it was in the late 1990s in Auchi, off Warake Road, down a stony lonely road walked briskly down the path two young undergraduates as they chatted on their way into the lonely estate that housed the “Master” (Ben Osaghae) as he was commonly known then in Auchi. They were eager to see the master, to see his latest collection of works and hear his narrative. It was in these sessions we had our informal training that brought meaning into our Art History courses (Modern Art).
‘’Over time these memories have enabled me to give my best in the teaching of Art. Though the master had resigned from Auchi Polytechnic before I got in, I was, indeed, blessed to have had close encounter with him all through my studies and afterwards. On December 11, 2016, after seeing his exhibition on Channels TV, I called him and was glad that I could say ‘Thank you ‘.’’
‘’You were a blessing to my life and a great inspiration for my teaching. May your soul rest in peace my teacher, mentor and friend. Master!” Klaranze Okhide said.
At the event, summary of the life and creative expressions of the late Osaghae by Jess Castellote and Akinyemi Adetunji entitled: Ben Osaghae. Visual Chronicles of a Society in Flux, was presented.
“Like most of the social realists of the 19th and 20th centuries, the late Osaghae had a high view of the mission of the artist – and his art-in society.
‘’He observed the world around him and gently tried to say and do something about it. But he was not a political reformer painting political propaganda… the late Osaghae’s works are in a different space, one not occupied by either ‘art-for-art’s-sake’ or ‘art-as-propaganda,’’ Castellote wrote.
Through his works, the late Osaghae inspired and touched many, including a younger generation of artists, collectors, students and enthusiasts. He will be greatly missed.

A book, The Story of the Ubulu Kingdom written by Esther Nwogwonuwe Wright, will be launched on Saturday at Ubulu Uku in Delta State.
The book, written in response to the erosion of cultural values and dearth of custodians of Ubulu traditions, is a 324-page historical documentary of the people of Ubulu across five states of the federation.
According to the author, the book project started as an attempt to do a one-hour film documentary on Ubulu in Delta State, only to discover that there were cultural affinities between Ubulu communities in the east. “The project was originally intended to be a documentary film on the people of Ubulu Kingdom; but as events unfolded, I realised that a single hour long documentary film viewed on television, would be a disservice to the understanding of the complex interwoven political, economic and socio-cultural developments of the Ubulu Kingdom and the Ubulu people as research later revealed,” she said at a briefing with Arts Writers in Lagos.
She added that after over a decade of thorough research, ‘what I discovered and verified was far too weighty. I decided, therefore, that only by producing this information first in a written form would one be able to explain and appreciate the findings, as well as tell the story of the Ubulu Kingdom.
This book, therefore, is a story about the Ubulu Kingdom and the people of Ubulu scattered all over the southern part of Nigeria. So far, these Ubulu communities can be found in five states of southern Nigeria, namely Delta, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo.’
Mrs Wright recalled that she visited 12 of the Ubulu towns at least twice during which discussions were held with individuals and groups. She, however, said it was impossible to locate the Ubulu in Uzo Uwani and Ubulu Ntu after two attempts and because of time constraint, the reason she did not either revistUbulu Oru and the other Ubulu towns.
“The inability to cover the whole area associated with field trips of this nature has been due to such problems as time constraint and the inaccessibility of such areas because of the nature of the terrain. There was also the unavailability of some data due to the possibility of the custodians being suspicious as to the purpose of this documentary,” she added.
On funding of the project, which started in 2005, she said it was self-funded. Hopefully, she would do a volume two to capture the missing communities.
“But the volume two will involve collaborations from Ubulu people to do an-all encompassing edition,” she noted.
Representatives of some of the Ubulu communities who were at the event commended the author for helping to preserve the heritage of the Ubulu people as well as bringing them together.
The book will be reviewed at the launch by Prof Charles Ofoegbu.

The recent solo art exhibition, Realm of Freedom, by Raqib Bashorun held at the Omenka Gallery in Ikoyi, Lagos, is a departure from the regular shows by some artists.
Apart from the medium, metal/mixed media, almost all the exhibits address serious contemporary issues plaguing the nation, ranging from corruption to failure of governance, impunity, lack of transparency and accountability, political deceits and ineptitude in high places.
More importantly, the exhibition is not only a clarion call on Nigerians who compromised their freedom innocently, but also a charge on people to re-articulate their moves.
According to Bashorun, the works were inspired by the thought of the common agitations “we all share irrespective of race, tribe or nationality and the tsunami of hardships meted out to us.’
“There are few places where I tend to enjoy an absolute sense of freedom; at the airports (the open concept and human traffic and expressions on those faces) by courtesy of the airline associates, in the aircrafts through the tones in the voices of the crew members, on the runways and in the emptiness of the sky.
“It is however uncertain if I discovered or found the freedom – I do not know what your take is on this subject and I am uncertain if indeed you have found yours,” he remarks in the exhibition brochure.
He notes that despite the new slogan of change, the political leaders have not lived up to our expectations and on our part, “we continue to perceive this issue as though we have no role to play to advance the course … We struggle to function in a society that frowns at freedom and is petrified by looseness. I guess we all clapped for deceitful performers. We did not hope that something terrible was in the offing and we bought into the cheap deceit. This route from far and near flags disaster; we have to recalculate, we have compromised our freedom innocently and it is our responsibility to go back to the drawing board and re-articulate our moves.”
Works, such as Cruel crown, Unfulfilled promises, Remains of our past glory and To the fabrics of brutality, are Bashorun’s focal points drawing viewers’attention to the ills in the society. Also, the use of red colour in most of the works is reflective of the mood of the country and its people this season of economic recession, tribal conflicts, Boko Haram insurgence, kidnapping and cattle rustlers’ killings.
Cruel crown (steel) is one work the artist uses to tell the story of an average Nigerian politician. It is made from found objects like bicycle chains and refrigerator’s compressor. The chains serve as veil covering the face of the politicians also act as a barrier between the electorate and the politicians. Cruel crown is a close up piece mirroring the garb of politicians and their deceitful life style as well as the barrier created between them and the electorate that voted them into power.
Other works by the artist included Poli-tic, Slow but steady, Evolution, Red trumpet, Fertility, Wind assisted, Congestion zone, Spiral hymn, Dreaded Mouse, Contrasted organized chaos and What is done in the dark. The show, which opened on March 18, will run till April 5.
The former chief lecturer Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, have held many solo and group art exhibitions in and outside the country. They included Evolving in 360, Evolving Through Waste, Evolving Through Discovery, Inspiring Design One O Tweleve and Punctuation.
Bashorun trained at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos and University of Missouri, Columbia, United States.