Gift Osague, a talented artist specializes in the use of recyclable waste fabric in creating stunning artworks. After completing her HND at the Auchi Polytechnic in Edo State, she became a full time studio artist, focusing on collage art pieces. In this interview with Ojochenemi Priscillia, she shares insights into some of her artworks.
The Solitude series 1 and 2 is a signature work by Osague that was a part of the symbol of the exhibition show. Solitude is a personal story about the childhood experience of the artist which talks about her not having much exposure into her culture and her loneliness. The painting describes a young girl dressed in her Edo attire with a painting brush in her hand and a sense of longing to belong. Osague was able to express herself using acrylic, fabric and patches of paper in this artwork.
In her words, “It is way deeper than just childhood; there are some parents who would withdraw their children from having certain experiences about life because they feel like they’re protecting them. However, it is also good for kids to make mistakes so as to have experiences to learn from and grow with of which my father prevented me and my brother from having.”
The residency programme was a chance for her to show the world what she had been going through and those things she did not have the opportunity to learn.
This artwork is a mixed media painting comprising of acrylic and fabric, which is a representation of her late father, portraying an elderly man, seated alone on a yellow couch. The artwork pictures a man who is deep in thoughts, reflecting the past and contemplating the future- particularly the future of the children he will leave behind. This piece of artwork suggests that there comes a time for everyone to sit and ask themselves questions about life: What will be the end of their journey? What was the beginning? Have they fulfilled their purposes?
“The Climax is a conclusion of the series that explores how I was raised by my father, highlighting the observations and lessons I gathered from him as a child. As with “Quiet Time” and “Solitude”, the yellow couch reappears, symbolizing a moment of reflection,” she said. The Climax also highlights a symbol of the Edo culture as the man in the artwork has a traditional bead on his wrist
Just a regular Day series 1 and 2 is another artwork. In this series, there are five kids, some in their regular attire and others in their uniforms. These series describes a regular day for children; a time where they play, fight, quarrel and settle in a moment.
This mixed media painting comprising of the use of acrylic, newspapers and fabric on canvas depicts a set of boys hunting for a particular ‘thing’, all dressed up and representing different identities. Just a regular day is a representation of life’s routine and stability, friendships, lesson and growth by learning from mistakes and reflecting back with a mix of longing and appreciation for the journey. Children playing outside the artist’s window and experiencing life inspired this series.
Through this artwork, the artist also passes across a message of financial scarcity, which was all over the world early last year. The technique or media used for this artwork is acrylic and fabric. The artwork comprises of three ladies in the Edo traditional attire adorned with Okuku.
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According to her, “This artwork is talking about me as a grown up now whereby I mingle with some ladies and then we have conversations about life and how we just want to shine now that we are in our prime.”
The artist named the artwork Sunny Girls because it portrays how children envision becoming adults and then when they become older, wish to go back to being kids again. The artwork also reflects the daily activities and trends of ouths today as in the painting; everyone is looking into the same direction of the person with a phone in her hands. It reflects how sometimes people tend to forget about themselves because they are so engrossed with their phones. Asides representing this piece of art in her culture, there are many stories hidden behind this artwork.
In her words, “If you look deeply at this painting, you’d find out that everyone is having the same distraction though they may be gaining and passing information amongst themselves. But it still relates to the environment and what happens every day.”
For this artwork, the artist makes use of three media such as lace fabric, sequence and Ankara. This artwork was inspired by how individuals especially parents are able to express themselves through their gaze.
According to Osague, “We all have different gaze, there are a lot of kids that learn from their parents, and somehow, if our parents don’t want to discipline us, with their eyes they are able to pass across a message.”
Through this artwork, she portrays that children have their own way of expressing themselves through their gaze. The artist compliments the green colour in the painting with red, her favourite colour to present danger, warning and love
This particular artwork has a symbol of the Edo culture known as Okuku- a beaded crown worn to adorn the head and enhance the beauty of women. The artwork portrays three kids adorned with Okuku who have a culture they needed to learn but were not given the opportunity to do so. The artwork is a model example of the artist whose father did not give her and her brother the opportunity to mingle with people outside their home. He did not want to expose them to their culture and their language as he felt that their ability to speak English language was enough for them.
Osague is an artist who wants her viewers to resonate deeply with colours when they come upon any artwork of hers, as she loves to work with bright colours. She wants her viewers to feel happy and feel that life is bright when they come across the placement of fabrics and colours in all her artworks.
As she continues to push the boundaries of fabric art, her message remains clear: to celebrate cultural heritage and display the power of creativity. With upcoming projects, including a duo show with fellow fabric artists, Gift’s artistic vision will undoubtedly inspire and captivate audiences.