Former Ondo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism Mr. Adetola Wewe, one of Nigeria’s prolific painters, has remained the toast of most art collectors and galleries for almost four decades. Despite serving in former Governor Olusegun Mimiko-led administration, Wewe despises being called a politician because he does not belong to such classification. He spoke with art writers in Lagos at the weekend on his experiences in government, his love for the art, his forthcoming exhibition/book launch and how his perseverance made him a sought-after in global art market. Assistant Editor Arts OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.
The season of politicking is here. Political parties are kicking off presidential campaigns with million-man marches across the country, and making promises to woo the electorate.
One man is unmoved by the political jamborees. He is the former Ondo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism Mr. Tola Wewe, who is known for his creative exploits as an artist.
He said most political administrators were not creative in implementing policies that would touch the lives of the people, but instead focused on how to remain in power by winning elections. He lamented that lack of creativity on the part of the governor and inadequate funding hindered his success as head of culture and tourism ministry in Ondo State.
According to Wewe, whose retrospective solo exhibition tagged Metamodern vision will hold at Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos between October 22 and November 22, governance is more of an art than science.
“My stint in government educated me on what happens in government. Most of our political administrators are not creative. All they know is winning election. Governance is art and not science, so you must be creative on how you touch peoples’ lives. Unfortunately, their major interest is to stay in power and win elections.
“All the papers and proposals I wrote before getting into office were never realised because of inadequate funding by the government. And I could not wait to get out of government because I don’t belong there.
“Also, I learnt that at EXCO meetings, when issues are being discussed, you don’t say it the way it is,” he said.
Wewe did not allow his art practice to suffer while in government. Often time, he avoided political meetings to spend quality time in his studios.
“Interestingly, my stay in the government did not impact my art practice negatively. Frankly speaking, I cannot remember if it affected my practice. I rarely attend their political meetings because I don’t belong there. I held exhibition at Civic Centre, Lagos and in Dubai. In fact, I hated to be called a politician.
“While in government, I did a painting titled Waiting for Mr. Governor, in reaction to the undue lateness of the Governor and delay of about five hours we experienced in one of the state functions. To kill boredom, the state cultural troupe went on stage to entertain the audience, which means that is what the ministry is all about,” he recalled.
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However, his tenure in government was never wasted after all. Despite poor funding, he initiated major culture and tourism events that had multiplier effects on the people, especially in tourism development.
He said: “It was during my time we started Mare Festival at Idanre that included art exhibition, mountain climbing and marathon race. It was to focus on Idanre, which was being listed as world heritage site by UNESCO. Interestingly, Ondo State has the longest beach in the country that is untapped. People in government do not find such attractive to invest on. They want low-hanging projects that are not sustainable.”
For one month beginning from October 21, his retrospective solo exhibition Metamodern vision will feature 60 works consisting of 30 large and medium paintings, 30 small sizes of paintings and some terra cotta.They will include The Lorde’s garden of Yemoja, House of Yemoja, Mother with many faces, Regeneration, jubilation and hope, Rhapsodies of colours, Neighborhood without boundaries, Waiting in the night wind, The mist of lost villages, and The tree does not make a forest.
He assured collectors and art enthusiasts that the 60 works for exhibition were selected from his collection, adding that apart from the little income he makes from it, he paints for the love of it and to express himself.
“I have some paintings measuring 26 feet and they will pose challenge for us to exhibit here. Marathon, for instance, is about 120 meters long … it is a huge piece that no space to exhibit it yet. We cannot photograph it at one stretch because of lack of space. One section of the painting was a tribute to my best friend, the late Chris Imodibe of The Guardian and another to baby factory which was an issue then. It was done six years ago. Works to be exhibited will be from 1983 till date and this will afford the audience to see how the artist moved from one point to another.
Recalling his foray into Lagos art market while in Ondo, he said: “It took me time to break into the Lagos art scene. Other members of ONA Movement-Bolaji Campbell, Moyo Okediji and Nasiru travelled out while Kunle Filani was tied down with teaching. I was the only one that persisted. I broke into the Lagos art market through Chike Nwagbogu who later established Nimbus Gallery in Ikoyi.
“ONA’s first show was held at a private gallery in Onikan Lagos and, unfortunately, we didn’t attend the opening. Since then, demand for my works increased even till date.”
Unlike what dominates the themes of most of his peers’ paintings, Wewe’s thematic preoccupations are female anatomy and the folklore of his culture.
According to him, the folklore is influenced by his childhood experiences, which also shaped the childlike drawing style, while issues such as gender, sensuality of the women, women and spiritual power form the other themes.
The exhibition is a mix of old and new, and it is coming shortly after a group exhibition in Ghana where Wewe exhibited along other Nigerian artists such as Yinka Shonibare.
To complement the exhibition, a 149-page-book entitled: Metamodern Vision of Tola Wewe, written by Prof Moyo Okediji, will be launched at its opening on October 22.
Reacting to claims that having many works in circulation undermines their financial values, Wewe disagreed, saying he has produced thousands of works yet unable to meet the demand for his works.
He said this year alone, he did over 1,000 works, adding that he has lost count of his paintings. “In Ghana recently, I exhibited 100 terra cotta pieces, which were produced and fired by me,” he said.
In the preface of the book, Moyo Okediji, a Professor of Art History, University of Texas Austin, United States, said of the artist and his use of imageries, especially those of women thus: “The images of woman in Wewe’s work have been codified into a long journey connecting the past, present and future of his ideas into a coherent icon of love, with which h combines layers of emotions, linking personal emotions with collective desires.
“Womenfolk, in Tola Wewe’s paintings, have become a landscape of longings to which he reaches out with passion, but which he cannot hold on to, because whenever he thinks he has found a grip, he is weaned and dislodged. His paintings are the vessels that he uses to reconnect and move back to the strange shores from which he is cast, after each engendered engagement.”
Okediji described Wewe’s Metamodern vision as the aesthetics of timelessness, mediating and harmonising notions that at first appear conflictive and contradictory, into a complementary complexity, communicating unity in the forms of diversity.
