Lagos artist Abolore Sobayo created the ‘headless Fela’ Liberation statue at Allen Roundabout, Ikeja, Lagos. He launched some works in Thailand, one of which is his latest piece, entitled Humanity. It is a 10ft by 25ft installation on which he worked with some students in Thailand as the Artist-in-Residence from Nigeria at the United World College (UWC). In this chat with EVELYN OSAGIE, Sobayo speaks on his residency and more.
My thoughts on art in Asia, Nigeria
It would not be fair to generalise Asia because it is a continent. But between Thailand and Nigeria, I would say the art in Nigeria has really attained an enviable standard. The art city is Bangkok and I was unable to visit it. So, I can’t state authoritatively that art in Nigeria has evolved better. But if I were to judge by what I saw, I would say art in Nigeria is ahead of that in Thailand.
Students’ reception
of my work
It was very well received. It was a wonderful experience for me. I had a fantastic time talking to the students of the school because in the individual classes, you have a mix of about six to 10 nationalities, all with diverse backgrounds. We all came together and shared ideas. I like the fact that the school is very forward thinking; they are stationed in a community that is bright and sound, and the people are happy and extremely receptive of new things and people. It was a piece of art that speaks and symbolises what the school believes in, and is one of my ideals as an artist.
Undertone of humanism
in my works
I know I am obviously a human being. And it is not about being a humanist or anything; it is about being an artist. My role as an artist is to educate people and add my voice to things I believe in. As an artist, I should contribute my own quota. I don’t believe in creating works that are just beautiful, works that are purely for aesthetic value without trying to strike a chord in my audience. I believe in communicating with people, I believe in talking about the social issues around us. I believe we need to be reminded about who we are and where we are from. At times, we forget because of the way we treat ourselves.
Essence of combining races and cultures in Humanity
The essence of the work is to talk about the injustice that is going on among humanity; the cruelty of one human being to another. ‘Humanity’ is a piece of art that was done during my residency programme at the United World College (UWC) Thailand. I was their artist-in-residence for this year. I worked on the piece of art using the world map. I cast the world map in wood. I did 10 different faces and I tried to explore five basic religions and five cultures around the world. I put everyone together on the same continent in all the continents of the world.
As an artist, I believe that it is high time I added my voice to the fact that there is only one race, which is the human race. I believe that beyond our colour, beyond our religion and beyond our belief, we are first human beings and we should all be treated as one. I also believe in human equality, and this is why I created this work – added to the fact that UWC is a multi-cultural school that believes also in equality among all people. Humanity aligns my beliefs and what the school believes in, so it works together for me. That was why I created the piece. The inspiration comes from my desire to speak out loud on human equality, and campaign for peace and unity as the new world order.
Other pieces I worked on as an artist-in-residence
I had about 20 classes, and some of the classes were very memorable: like the class where I spoke about “Identity”. There was another class where we discussed “Slavery” and another on “Sustainability”. Also, using Lagos as a case study and how Lagos has been able to evolve and sustain the modern Lagos. There was a class where I discussed my art and the way people look at it. We X-rayed my work, the Liberation statue. We discussed it extensively, and I had the students air their opinions and share their interpretation of the work. I was able to do a bit of tie and dye too, which is a part of my culture as a Yoruba man. I think the kids would have held on to a lot of things from me as a Nigerian. It was an experience that I am happy with because I was able to impact, impart and also learn from the culture. It was my first time in Asia, so the idea I always had or held was different from the reality I met there. It was an interesting place for me.
Leave a Reply