August has been an eventful month for the master artist, Dr. Bruce Onobrakpeya, who turned 90 yesterday. He was the toast of artist communities in Lagos, Agbarha-Otor and San Diego, where conferences, exhibitions and dinner were held to celebrate six decades of his creative exploits. He speaks with Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME on why he is still active in the studio Harmattan workshop project and state of Nigerian art market.
You turned 90 yesterday. Looking back, how do you feel?
First and foremost, I’m filled up with gratitude to God for taking me all these years going to one stage to another. It’s his doing, not the doing of any human being. Not because a person is brilliant or he has rich parents or rich environment. It’s the grace of God. I’m always very thankful to Him. The other question you ask is how do you feel? You know sometimes when I look back, 90? It just like yesterday. It’s with those things I begin to see that time has really past and a lot of water has passed under the bridge, so that is something we should thank God for. You still feel that life is there and nothing has left you and you’re still planning, one is still creating, that gives me a great sense of joy and give me all the time and opportunity to thank God for the life, opportunity and passion he has given. It’s like yesterday. Ninety is like yesterday. Yet, I still feel that there are so many things yet to be done yet and I’m praying to God to give me time to do all of them. You don’t know when you’re born and so don’t worry at all when your work will be done. It’s God who knows the time. Just keep going. These are my reflection.
Does turning 90 impacts on your creativity?
You know, I’ve come across people even when they are only seventy they’ve given up living. They don’t want to aspire to anything anymore. What I think is that by seventy you’re still a young man. You’re still creating. You still have IQ, ideas and you still have things you want to do. At 90, there are still a lot of grounds to conquer and the thought of what is to be done remove the morbid feelings that I think a lot of people have. They are morbid. They’re thinking about death. They are thinking about dying. God made you to be 90 and He has a plan for you. And whatever He has for you, all you have to pray that He gives you the energy and the time to carry them out.
Can we link your turning 90 or maybe, beyond to your gene?
That’s an aspect of it that people talk about. My father was 112 years when he passed on. People used to say that how do you know? There was no record. I said look there were records. What we calculated was that when the British Army touched Benin Empire, my father was 10 years. He was in age when the British invasion took place. Ten years before the British invasion. So by that metrics, my father died at 112. So the gene has something to do with. I agree on the gene.
At the take-off of Harmattan workshop, what were other ideas on your head on how to meet your Lagos audience demands?
What inspired me has always been the Oshogbo workshop. If I was inspired by Oshogbo, then my plan won’t be for the urban areas, but the rural environment, which will be promoted. I’m always thrilled by the art that was introduced by Susan Wenger and Uli Beire second wife, Georgina. Oshogbo was helped to pay attention to the culture which is wrapped in traditional religion. Also to accept a foreigner to come to help them develop the traditional ideas and to bring in the workshop as the catalyst that serves to bring in all those other elements to develop Oshogbo. So Oshogbo has been my main inspiration. What I do then will help to elevate that and take it to a level where that lineage can get prominence.
For many decades, your Mushin home has become a Mecca of sorts for collectors, artists and researchers. How has the situation of Mushin impacted on your creativity?
A lot. A small boy once said that I’m idle here (laugh). Mushin created what I call an ideal place. It’s a refuge for me to stay and be anonymous. They don’t know me much in this environment. That helps my creativity. But also there are things in Lagos either within the local area I stay or at large which are geared to creativity and revival of thoughts. A place where you can see art that has been created several centuries ago in Nigeria to give you an inspiration to move forward; a crossroad where you can encounter the culture of other people from other parts of the world. Lagos itself is a kind of catharsis. Whether it’s traditional, foreign, academic, philosophical, the atmosphere around Lagos makes it possible for your ears, eyes and heart to absorb them, keep them into you and by the time they come out, they come out as something that is appreciated that can be called beautiful, that can give one an identity, can be something you want to live for. So, my being at Mushin here also went to the extent of encouraging the local situation here. We have a market here. And those markets sell spare parts. And those spare parts have become part of my art. My being here has created a situation whereby I can use and reuse the materials in the environment and then I’m also able to meet with people from all over Nigeria. The Igbos are here, Hausas are here and the Ijaws are here too. It puts me in touch with Nigeria as a whole. Being here has many sides to it.
Are there any ugly sides because of the level of insecurity?
Well that happened for a very short time but after that those who wanted to see me were able to see. That happened during the June 12 crisis in 1993. And diplomats were forbidden to cross the bridge. But, whoever wants to see me has always come here. It didn’t have that flip side that says because you’re far away you cannot see me. No. On the other side, people who are not serious in wanting to see, they give excuses. If you’re not serious, if the motivation is not strong enough it is then you’ll start thinking of all these barriers. I’m safe from unnecessary worries by people who have not gone through invitation and at the same time people who have invitation and want something very badly. They always come and see me.
Look back at Agbarha-Otor project, how will you describe your level of fulfillment from that project?
I’ll say it’s very high. And then at very many levels, what we have done have touched not only the local people, academics, self-taught, people from Delta or even West Africa. What we have done have touched the West Africa, America, Europe, Canada, Belgium etc. It’s something that has brought in development in friendship and it has helped us connect. It has also helped us bring together in the past those separated by colonial aspirations. The Francophone West Africans were separated from the Anglophone West Africans by colonialists, but the workshop broke those barriers. The other thing that is important is that it has helped to develop an environment where it is situated. When we went there the local young men were very shy. When you talk about Urhobo art, they think it’s not art at all. But, when you go there now, the consciousness is high. Even the young ones have brought back some of those traditional practices because we were there. We gave them consciousness about these things. They are reliving those things in the context of the modern world. The other thing is that the workshop because of its location and development, it has provided labour for the people in the locality.
It helps to draw attention to some of the things that are happening in that environment. For instance, a lot of the artists at the beginning drew attention to the spoiling of the Delta environment through oil spillage and degradation. People pay attention to those things that we say. The other thing is that because we were there, we have the museum housing the artworks which we brought there. Also, there is a requirement from all schools in the state to tour cultural centers and learn about the culture of the place. The workshop is promoting tourism in the country.
If the dream of Agbarha-Otor didn’t come to pass, what alternative would you have thought of?
I probably would work just like any other artist. I’ll do my work. But it will not give the same satisfaction like the workshop. The workshop keeps me on my toes that there’s still a lot of learn and the atmosphere where you can get idea is there for you. I believe I can make myself open to draw from the people in the surrounding. That is what the workshop has done. My continued creative works is that the workshop is there to give me inspiration at all levels and serve as a learning forum for others.
Looking at the Harmattan workshop project, what stage of completion is it? What are you eyeing for the future?
The future is that the Harmatan workshop should grow to be like Oshogbo. The structure should be multinational and it should help the town to declare her heritage because if the people are able to develop what is good in their area, then that place has contributed to humanity. I want the workshop to contribute in that direction. I want the workshop to put it at a level whereby it will be classified as a world heritage site. I want Agbarha-Otor to be like a Shakespeare country, Standford or Harvard, which people from all over the world go to see artworks not only from that region, not only my artworks, but something that one will want to take away from Nigeria.
If you put a price on the project, what are we looking at?
We’re thinking of billions of naira because we’re not talking about the infrastructure now or the cost of the properties, but we’re talking of the collections that are there. These comprise of my artworks and those of other people.
You have large collection of contemporary artworks gathered over the years. How is it being preserved?
We are doing the best we can to preserve. We’re building new houses and learning from the others.
What’s the ultimate goal of the workshop?
It’s that the ownership will cease to be in the hands of one person, family or community. It’s going to be in the hands of the world. And at that point, money is no longer of problem of keeping what’s there. Because once it’s known that that thing is serving the country, serving humanity, the money to take care of it is automatically going to be released to bring that place to a level whereby it can benefit the country and the rest of the world.
Are we thinking of opening the centre to other genres art beyond visuals?
That is already going on. But, I want to be careful so that we don’t spread too thin. So, we are doing it gently with caution. I want to tell you that already a kind of theatre, a small theatre is been arranged. Towards the end of every section, something is put up in cooperation with the textile department and the fashion department. And they will put on something like plays, fashion parade and so on.
That already is spreading beyond the visual art to performing art. We have plans to open up other departments so we will take it little by little. We acquire more lands and we are growing. As soon as an idea comes and we think it’s feasible, we’ll put it there. We don’t want to do too many things at the same time and they fall apart. The ones we have we keep them and whenever we are able to bring in something else, we put it there. For a long time, we resisted the idea of having residency. But since the last two years, we now opened up residency. We have our first resident artist for more than six months.
From your days in Zaria till now, what has changed in Nigerian art?
Well, a lot has changed. You know that in those days when we were in Zaria, artists and artworks were never respected.
But today, the perception of artists has changed. Now artists are people to reckon with. We have been able to raise the bar. Artists are doing things that help this generation to express their African perspective and the economy.
