Tag: artist

Martina Hassana Michael is a graduate of Mass Communication. However, she finds solace in other aspects of arts. She is a painter, a model and a writer. She finds time enough to write prose and poetry. She is also a freelance broadcaster where she also proves her mettle as a journalist. In this interview with EDOZIE UDEZE she makes it clear that her life as an artist is a busy and fulfilling one.

You seem to be a cross-over artist – from Mass Communication to visual arts and dance and modeling. How did you achieve that?

It all started in school during my final year. I was asked to write anything that was in my mind and when I did, behold, it was a beautiful piece of art. Everyone loved the spoken word, even till today. I can’t really explain how it started; I met it happening and ever since it has been from good to better. My note book has been my rescue room and my therapist. For the visual; drawing eases my mind, eases all the tension and gives me a sense of relief. Modeling became what I realized at my adult years, my stature and my raw love for fashion got me into bikini modeling, right until I competed and became the runner-up for the Most Beautiful Girl in Abuja Pageant (MBGA 2023)

You did not attend a formal school of visual arts. How come you paint lots better than most formally trained visual artists?

I have always had an unfiltered love for paintings and pencil art. It’s fascinating strokes and shades gripped my heart and so I took it upon myself to enhance my skills and feed my passion for art by enrolling in an art studio where I learnt the basics of drawing and painting.  The appreciation of art differs from person to person. Our personality tends to influence our views about life and art.

How has the modeling business helped you to be a better artist and person?

Modeling to me is a pleasant way to showcase my uniqueness as a person and beauty. It has brought out my confidence and helped me express my physical looks effortlessly whilst being confident in my body. As a model it tends to influence my art positively as I admire the human body and appreciate it by drawing and painting it.

You also do a bit of broadcasting. What lessons have that taught you?

Being in the broadcast industry is super fun and exciting even though it has its flaws. The media has helped me in becoming bold towards writing and editing. And my first recorded work was in the studio and that particular piece was written in the studio titled The Fallen Heroes.

Dancing is a rigorous form of movement. Do you dance traditional or modern dance and how often?

Dancing to me is beyond the physical movement of the body. It involves the soul as well. It elevates the spirit. I love to dance both traditional and modern beat. For the traditional dance I dance pretty good to my state cultural dance which is referred to as Samba. It gave me a good edge during my dance display on stage for the pageantry. It was a sight to behold. Salsa music and dance which originated from Cuba is one amongst the best and swift dance I learnt which I do at leisure time and for pleasure.

How soon are we expecting your fine art exhibition either solo or group?

Exhibition is something I yearn for. It is what my art needs, the joy of seeing people meeting and communicating with my art. Although my paintings are few and somehow raw and intimidating, I love them all. I will exhibit my art soon but it will be for a selected audience for its explicit content. To me art is limitless and its satisfactory taste comes in different flavours, surrealism, abstract, sculpture and a lot more including figurative art which I specialize on. And I also have a sense of fulfillment doing it as it better expressed. To me the human nudity is an art of excellence that God did and which can’t be achieved by no other

When I’m painting I’m literally just calm within me. And that helps to bring out the desired end results. I love colours and so I put in diverse colours and shades to my work. I do this mainly through the use of acrylic and pastels, and a few times oil paint. I engage more with acrylic, pastels and graphite.

Is Martina Hassana Michael also a poet, novelist or playwright?

I am a poet and it is one amongst a few things that completes me. I love diversity and as a literary writer I wouldn’t say overtime if I wouldn’t indulge into playwriting or novel writing but as for this present moment I am best regarded as a writer and a spoken word artist.

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I believe my mind is an influential tool and a big drive to my art. My writing is birthed from my thought, from my darkest days, darkest moments and experiences. So I’d rather not regard it to be junk but my thoughts as a reservoir of greatness and beauty. Although what travels through it could be a bitter past and/or present pain it is certainly a part of me archived in my mind and rather than letting it temper with my happiness i learnt to transform my thoughts  into beauty into spoken word and it became my defense and guide which has built me into  being better , being happy and hopeful. Every piece of thought that crosses through my mind whether negative or positive I hold on to it as an armor, my pen as the sword and my mouth as the battle field.

Which area are you more comfortable? Painting or writing or modeling; being a pageant Queen?

Art is incredibly fascinating in all its forms. And I indulge in visual, performing and literary art. The visual art is something that intrigues me and I enjoy doing it in my leisure time and not too frequently. I admire both paintings and drawings.  My literary art has my heart, as it helps heal my heart and lighten my soul. Writing is something I adore and enjoy every single moment. It is therapeutic to me and I find so much comfort in it. And for the performance art, I’d say it brightens my mood. Dancing heals both the body, mind and soul. I dance anytime or anywhere I hear a good music. It is a mood lifter. And music itself is something I love. I tend to sing and attend every possible karaoke show to sing. Art is deep and profound. It is indeed life itself. I cannot miss out on any form of it. Being a model or modeling comes easy and it requires little or no skill but self-confidence.

In this interview with Edozie Udeze, young and promising Nigerian artist, Gift Osague, talks about her first solo exhibition, titled The Search For Freedom. An Auchi Polytechnic trained artist, Osague is an artist who believes that her works can conquer the world. The exhibition that lasted for five days happened at Gemini Art gallery Lagos, where art patrons, art lovers, and enthusiasts, gathered to admire and display their solidarity with her. Indeed, she was an artist in search of freedom.

WHAT theme did your last exhibition treat and why?

‘The search For Freedom’. The theme reflects the complexity of my childhood experiences, resilience, culture, creativity and growth. And so, in that case the exhibition show project the end products of all works created which expresses each placement of my fabrics and other related medium.

You have just finished your first solo show. Can we share the experience with you?

My first solo exhibition dating on the 27th April-4th May 2024, at Gemini Art gallery in Onikan Lagos,was a great success. Indeed there were lots of works and collaborations done even before the show and the opening day was amazing.

You produced some works during your last artists in residency programme. In what ways did that outing influence your solo show in Lagos?

Most of the works created during my artist residency program with Transit Artist Foundation at Protest Art Studio, led to this solo show at Gemini art gallery. It was at first just a process for me to discover, have a personal time away from my own studio walls and work more on myself and art and then again it was for the foundation to let the world know that there is another unique artists that they should see. So during my stay at the residence I decided to take the chance of settling and reflecting back on disturbing issues I have longed wanted to express and Transit artist Foundation was ready to welcome that and able to journey me through.

During your days at Auchi polytechnic, Edo State, what were those important things that have encouraged you to be so bold as an artist?

One major thing I learnt from Auchi Polytechnic is the strong determination and fearless spirit. During my National Diploma at Auchi Polytechnic, amongst all lecturers was one named Mr Daniel Idahosa, he always encouraged students to be free and intentional in terms of drawing with their hands and mind, so with that I see it as a way for “an artist to be bold, intentional and resilient thereby not letting anything make you feel you can’t do it. And even if you feel you aren’t getting what you want then you go over it again.” This guidance has helped me so far.

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During your solo outing, what did you learn most about the relationship between artists and galleries?

In this contemporary stage, I’d say most galleries are beginning to see reasons to support artist now that social media have become more favorable for artists to easily showcase their talents/works out there. It was a good means for artists and galleries to share views, critics, opinions or make proposals at that moment. While it was also a moment for other art lovers to just enjoy the works and render accolades.

Did protest art works in anyway have incursions into your works and experiments?

Absolutely yes! But most importantly in a positive way. One unique qualities about the Protest Art Studio is that it help to change an artist ideology, it mental ways of thinking and approach to work. It helps an artist to see more of the value and greater path of oneself. However, there are no replicas or copy of ‘protest artworks’ in my works but just the words of mentorship in which I have used to build and advanced in my approach to work.

• By Udemma Chukwuma

Bones, egg shells, buttons, nails, sawdust, screws; you name them, are a few of the media artists are exploring for their creativity. This trend, perhaps, could be as the competition bar is rising, so are artists looking for ways to be unique by thinking outside the box. But how durable are the materials used, will they stand the test of time?
One artist who ventured into exploring an unusual medium is Segun Akano. People went mad the first time he displayed his screw artwork titled: Eko for Show, during an art expo in Lagos in 2017. The reactions motivated him to further explore the medium which he started exploring in 2016.

His unique ability to work with screws proves how dedicated he is to his practice as a full-time studio artist. And one would wonder how it is possible for one to create forms, shapes, light and shade with screws. “I have the opportunity to form alliances with materials such as screw steel, bolts, fasteners and other metal objects,” he explained. As an experimental artist, “my work speaks in response to how materials relate with me.”
The way he presented the contour of an elegant female figure which he titled Skentele, is mesmerizing. From afar you could swear that it’s not screws artwork but painting. He admitted that working with the medium was tedious in the beginning for him.

Akano’s work majorly celebrates women of diverse cultures. He draws inspiration from “the history of my roots, African culture, womanhood and legendary stories, to create repository of our heritage in a langue my audience can relate with.”

His recent sculptural pieces and acrylic paintings by Dolapo Ogunnisi will be on view at Luxury Living in Abuja from April 5 to April 13, in an art exhibition titled Screwed. Some other works he will be exhibiting are: Pepper Them, Call Me Royalty, Moremi, Owambe , Queen Amina… all screws on board.

Segun Akano is the pioneer of screw art in Nigeria. He focuses his art on relief sculpture and models with light and optical illusion. He started creating art after graduating with a first degree in Analytical Chemistry from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in 2008. He has had solo exhibitions and group shows.

Read Also: Artist explores unusual medium in screwed

Dolapo Ogunnusi is fascinated with vibrant colours. In this exhibition, he shows eye-popping colours and arresting themes which anyone can relate to as they mirror the day-to-day activities of everyday people in his immediate society. “I record mores and experiences of my society to serve as a voice in my own time,” said the Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State graduate.

Bright yellow, red and purple frequencies are the colours in most of his paintings. The colours create a feeling which makes one want to walk into the paintings. This you could feel in a painting he titled; Half Bread. The painting depicts some tricycle operators in their pack waiting for passengers to board. But to the artist: “Half Bread is an exact portrait of most citizens in Nigeria. Not only the uneducated are victims of this economic meltdown. Everyone just finds something to do in order to mend the battered pieces; thus, half-bread is better than none.”
What makes Half Bread outstanding is the subtle colours he used to paint the houses behind the tricycles, they are appealing and do not clash with the bright yellow shades of the tricycles. “The tricycle has become a major business avenue for survival,” he said.

The distinctive quality of his art is its capacity to influence the society by translating human experience across space and time. Using themes such as The Dance of Pretence, Vortex, the Race for Power, Equilibrium, National Conference, Actors and Onlookers for his works, he shows the consequences of the dysfunctional society we live in.
Screwed according to the organisers (Luxury Living) documents the old and timeless history of kingdoms, rulers and their way of living.

The Acting Vice Chancellor, University of Africa, Toru-Orua, Prof Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma has described artiste as an observer of life that mirrors realities to the audience. He said being a seasoned thespian helped him tremendously in his career as culture administrator at both state and national levels before returning to the academia. Prof Ayakoroma was trained as theatre artist at the University of Calabar, University of Ibadan and University of Port Harcourt majoring in directing and film studies.

He observed that as Nigeria is currently passing through very trying times, the roles of theatre become very critical and relevant in proffering lasting solutions to these challenges, especially speaking truth to power. 

“Artist is an observer of life and theatre is a slice of life who mirrors realities to his audience. Those attributes of the artiste enabled me to take right decisions at certain times and it helped me tremendously. I look at situations from that perspective and it has not in any way been a minus. My being an artist has always been a plus. Hypothetically, I ask myself, If am in a position like that how will I react, what will I do? And that has always informed my actions,” he said.

He hinted that at the University of Africa, Theatre Art Department has the highest students registration. This development, he said, speaks volume of the acceptance level of theatre at the university. “If you don’t tell your story, nobody will tell it for you. Unfortunately, it is the wrong and negative story people are interested in. As an artist I can still act, write and do other things. Nigerians appreciate whatever you do,” he added. 

The former Executive Secretary and CEO, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), who spoke to journalists in Lagos recently, said that he has in the last five months as acting vice chancellor of University of Africa, applied these attributes to steer the affairs of the varsity. He noted that despite the economic hardship, he makes deliberate efforts to improve on the situations in the university, especially staff and students’ welfare.

“In five months that I have been on the saddle, we are trying as much as possible to make sure things move smoothly. Unfortunately, we have challenges of water and light, which am taking care of. First, I approached the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to request for two generators, academic office space and other couple of things. So far, the NDDC had responded positively to the requests. It is carrying out studies of where to locate the office and also assisting in the completion of the auditorium, which may host the maiden convocation,” he said.   

Despite the numbers of tertiary institutions in the state, Prof Ayakoroma said it is a welcome development and not that of rivalry. He stated that there is no form of rivalry between the public and private universities as it is complementary. “If private varsity is not receiving funding from government, then it cannot charge same fees with public varsities. The good thing about private varsities is that their academic calendars are steady,” he added.   

This, he said, is one attraction that makes parents to take their children to universities in Togo, Benin and other African countries because there is no disrupted calendar.

However, he identified the university’s unique selling point as the enterprising and enthusiastic lecturers who are ready to give in their best and who know that the university has a promise from the foundation. 

On the recent report on fake degrees being issued by schools in Benin, and Togo, said the unsteady academic calendar in our varsities is what drives parents to such schools. “When govt gives proper attention to varsities, there won’t be need for strike. I commend the journalist that did the investigative report. However, some states are beginning to increase subventions to their varsities,” he said. 

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Explaining the university’s approach to students’ admission, Prof Ayakoroma said students are encouraged to choose alternative courses to their first choice in order not to waste much time writing JAMB every year. He noted that recent admission data shows that JAMB admits less than 30 percent, leaving 70 percent of the students waiting for next year examination.

“At the University of Africa, we encourage students not to be too rigid in choice of courses to study. Universities are not meant only for indigenes, they are meant for outsiders too. In Bayelsa, we have University of Niger Delta (NDU), University of Africa, Toru Orua and Bayelsa Medical University, which is a specialise university and we have another one that has been approved, Federal of Agriculture, Nembe and Federal University at Otuoke.

Also, there is a private university Hensard University in Toru Orua, owned by former Governor of Bayelsa Senator Seriake Dickson,” Prof Ayakoroma said.  

He disclosed that University of Africa will soon hold its maiden convocation of three combined sets. “In terms of student population, after Bayelsa, Rivers and Imo states have the largest students’ population in that order. We have students from 22 states of the federation. In the next few years, the university will be well known. We try to let everybody know that the university is indeed a government university,” he assured.