Ikpoza experiments geometrism in his exhibition

Jonathan Ikpoza, in this new art form explores geometrism in an ongoing art exhibition at the Terra Kulture, Lagos.  Edozie Udeze spoke with him on this theme and why geometrism defines his works and lots more

Jonathan Ikpoza, formerly of the Araism Art movement who had not been seen on the visual art scene in Nigeria for a long time reappeared last weekend.  He reappeared with an art exhibition at the Terra Kulture, Lagos, simply titled Geometrism.  Geometrism, because he explained that he has come back to rediscover new ideas; techniques and form that define and probe human existence.

Geometrism is a steady movement of like lines, shapes and form used to demonstrate designs.  Used in art form, it defines in a clearer form, it helps to measure an object of visual style and then totally infuses regular progression to the idea thus projected.  In other words, this is the type of art form or technique which Ikpoza has chosen to explore in his new art works.

In the 48 works he had on display, he demonstrated this new way of doing his art when he said, “my works capture the quest of human for eternal freedom which governs the acts of human and the effects on the victims and the beneficiaries.  While practicing art, I saw so many art movements, art schools.  I was in Araism and so on.  After a while I still discovered that there is this peculiar art that I do that can actually explain the context within which I see art.  And also the way my environment can be affected by my art.  Many people are more concerned about the external aesthetics of the art, rather than the internal beauty and form.  The message of art and the life-changing effect, and what those messages can be, have often been forgotten by some artists.  But in geometrism this can actually be a voice to tell whoever cares to listen that there is a steady progression to improve the art, to make it answer all the troubling questions in the minds of people”.

This is why his works came out in series.  It was so because his works have deep-seated stories behind them.  Ikpoza loves colours, he explores varieties of them to give that surrealism that shapes his art forms in the most explicit way ever.  He gives his works clear voices of their own.  He does not experiment, rather he paints to make a subject-matter speak to you.  Appeal to your human sensibilities.  He works to bring out beauty, to express naturalism, using issues of the people to bring his ideas nearer home.

He explained it thus:  “I deal with issues that consciously or sub-consciously appeal to human nature and human mind.  So this particular painting which is Iroro 9 explains more clearly what my ideas portray.  Iroro is an Urhobo word which actually means meditation or thought, deep thought in which the human mind is at work.  This picture therefore depicts my daughter who resembles me a lot.  She is in this form so that the total naturalness of her person would blossom.  For a long time I worked on this series of works and ideas to define my own geometrism.  The society is affected by what people take in.  If you give them rich art, that is what they’ll absorb, so also when you give them bad or sub-standard art”, Ikpoza, a graduate of Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State, stated.

A studio artist of many years running, Ikpoza uses abstraction in his art to define elements and principles of designs.  Thus, he creates imageries.  This shows him as a mind-probing artist in which he involves the people, carries them along as he uses deep colours for effect.  He conceives basic shapes and squares.  He puts them together so as to capture the real essence of triangles, circulars, rectangles, cubes, pentagons and so on.

All his 48 works at the exhibition showed these characteristics that the moment you entered the hall, you would be enraptured by the inherent beauties of his works.  His abstractions are designed to appeal; to probe your inner self.  This is why human beings are central to him as an artist.  He uses the imageries of women to express life as it is.  “Women are beautiful works of art”, he said.  “They add total beauty to life.  Without them life will be dull and lifeless” he said.  Yet, Ikpoza’s idea is not to only portray women, it is to show the total nature of geometrism as the best way to give shape to the art, to that peculiar form, style and technique.  “Yes, I have also added butterfly to the symbols in my paintings.  This is so because of its significance.  The butterfly symbolizes many things depending on its interpretation and the cultural belief of the people.  To some people, it symbolizes freedom and liberty.  To others, it means beauty and wonderful colours.  This is why I use it to give both freedom and beauty to my works.  As an artist therefore, the butterfly approach to me is in terms of beauty, aesthetes and freedom”.

In his painting title eto II, Ikpoza uses a woman’s afro hairdo to explore beauty.  It brings back the natural hair style of the African lady of old.  Therefore eto points to beauty; it zeroes down to that freedom which the African lady needs to keep, maintain and shape her beauty and person.  Ikpoza simply intoned, “black is beautiful”.   This hairstyle predominated amongst the Black-American ladies during the slave era in the States.  Today the beauty still obtains both in America and in Africa.  And so, put in art form, it depicts a people at home with their culture and tradition.

Also in Iroro XIV which is oil, charcoal, acrylic and newspaper on canvas, he said that all people are connected.  “This new work corroborates strong co-joining between the human mind and nature.  This is what this work here symbolizes”, he said.  It is a form of aesthetic art with flowers and butterfly, showing the connection between man and animals, between the human mind and the society.  It is explicit, it is a total epitome of beauty.

There are other series on freedom, on affection, on oma, on free spirit and so on.  Each series is to give out that centre-piece of geometrism, showing an artist who purposely came to explore, to be different and to bring back the total aesthetic values of the visual art.  He no longer experiments; he is deliberately attuned to the art of form anchored on shapes, beauty, the use of colours, in its totality to form designs, stimulating the human senses..

The exhibition which began last weekend will end tomorrow.  And Ikpoza says it is time for art lovers to have a new feel of the visual art in their total forms and styles.