In different parts of Germany, where Nigerian contemporary artists reside, they have been using their art works to prove their mettle and extend the frontiers of paintings, drawings, photography, installation works and more. In this report, Edozie Udeze takes a look at these artists and what they have achieved and attained in their career locally and globally and more.
IN Germany and some parts of the Western world, there are many Nigerian contemporary artists who are making waves. These artists left Nigeria at different times in search of greener pastures. They moved over to Germany where they have been doing their best to stay afloat and to also keep the glow of their artistic spirit in good order. Some of these artists include Chidi Kwubiri, Emeka Udemba, Junkman from Africa, Jimmy Uche Nwanne and many others.
It is interesting to note that these artists have been able to raise the standard of their profession so much so that their works are seen in some of the most important arenas and institutions all over the world. For them, art can be used to overcome racism, hatred and cynicism. As their works appeal to the world, so do they also keep extending the frontiers of their presence where they feature in either solo or group exhibitions. It also goes to show that the German society accepts and promotes and encourages the prospects of Fine Arts. This is why these artists have found the place convenient and conducive to ply their trade and entrench the habit of using arts to stem the tide of racism or colour bias of any sort.
Chidi Kwubiri was born in Umuohia, Abia State in 1966. In 1993, he left for Germany. Before then he had no formal training in the Art, even though he was fond of drawing and painting as time permitted him to do. Same year, he participated as a guest student in the Masterclass of Michael Duthe at the Kunstakademie Dusseldorf in Germany. Thereafter, he became a regular student and then began to study painting from 1994-2000. This was in the Arts Academy in the Masterclass of A.R. Penck. Today, he lives with his family and works in Pulheim near Cologne. He has had several individual and group exhibitions in Germany and other countries of the world.
Kwubiri is almost a household name in German’s contemporary art scene. He designed among other very important works, the Lenten Veil of the German Catholic Charity Misereor for 2017 and 2018. This is a fantastic work well funded by those who admire classical artworks. His solo exhibitions so far include his 2010 Theme Africa held in New York, USA; 2009 Whip Not Child held at the Goethe Institut both in Nigeria and in Germany, another 2009 exhibition held in Opera Gallery in Paris, France.
In 2008, he had Reflection at the Signature Gallery, Lagos. This theme was also shown in Pulheim and Cologne, all in Germany, same year he had one at the Millennia Art, Florida, USA and many more in different parts of Europe, Africa, America and Asia.
In the main, Kwubiri’s works involve the complex of cultures. He still remains rooted in his local cultures and this makes his works possess elements of masquerades, traditional customs and local and social issues of the people. However, he oscillates between figurative and abstract paintings. In these, he forms faces, bodies, masks, using bright and expressive colours to pass his messages across. Through these, he explores Nigerian cultures and the world at large. His greatest moment was when he was shown at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France and Nigerian Embassy and Deutche Bank in Berlin, Germany.
On his part, Emeka Udemba, born in 1968, is based in Freiburg, Germany. He studied Arts at the Lagos State College of Education and the University of Lagos before he left for Germany. Udemba is a painter, photographer, and installation artist. He is a mixed media artist who lives and works between Nigeria and Germany. In the course of his professional works he has won several awards, prizes, grants and residencies in Africa and Europe.
One of his most notable projects is at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, France. Another one is at the Prince Claus Fund in the Netherlands. In his peculiar style, he operates an open-minded arts with intimate attention focused primarily on routines, habits and utopia possibilities. In most of his works, he has time to reflect on critical ideas of every day life concealed in complex and contradictory realities of the distinct and distant societies. In these mediums, he interrogates societal prejudices, norms and biases still pervasive in the entire universe. He is known to produce installation works, he also performs and engages his spare time doing photography, video and drawings, all dealing with experiences on the issues of socio-cultural influences. Through photography, he shows the society as it is and how to make amends. This is partly why he is involved in curatorial art practices in public places, especially when time permits him to do so.
The Junkman from Africa is a unique artist, queer and bizarre. He has been in Germany for over 20 years where he has used his art of awkward things to establish his name and establish junk as a form of art. He is Dil Humphrey Umezulike, better known as Dilomprizulike. He was born in Enugu where he began on time to display his natural penchant as an artist. In the main his love for arts dwells more in sculpting, performance arts and painting. He read Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the University of Dundee, Scotland, where he obtained his Masters degree in Fine Arts (MFA).
The Junkman is not only weird in his works, he recycles and tries to transform heaps on city streets into meaningful and vibrant art. This way, he succeeds in creating effusive and lively installations and performances that often defy human understanding. To further cement his love for what he believes in, he has created the Junkyard Museum of Awkward Things in Lagos. It is a sculptural environment built essentially from found objects; objects that otherwise would have remained useless and fallow in the streets and in trashcans.
In one of his most remarkable works, a version of the Oriel Mostyn Gallery in Liandudno, Scotland, he proved that truly junk has come to be accepted as a universal form of the art. In 2005, his work was exhibited in Africa Remix at London’s Hayward Gallery. It is a work that looks ubiquitous, outstanding and unique. He has been in residency in different locations, mostly at the Gasworks Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum in the UK.
In addition, in 2005, he created Busy Street, a form of art, for the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art in Israel. The piece was made entirely from local items and till date it still appeals to the local people. It reflects Israel’s consumer society and shows how one can use local materials to perfect the local artistic needs of the people.
For every moment, the Junkman travels round the world to speak at conferences, workshops and so on in order to entrench the ideals of junk. This is why he is a visiting professor to various universities of the world, while at the same time ensuring that his works adorn most important galleries all over the world.
The Junkman lives in Soest, Germany. He has exhibited in Jamaica, Rwanda and all parts of Europe and Africa. His works include Face of the City, Waiting for the Bus and Wanderlust and more.
As for Jimmy Uche Nwanne, the youngest of the lot, he is noted for his remarkable statement which says, “Until an artist learns to follow his mind, creating will always be a struggle”. A graduate of Fine Arts from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nwanne was born in 1989 in Kaduna. He majored in painting while in school. For now he lives and works in Kaiderslautem, Germany, where he has carved a niche for himself in African and Nigerian Art.
Nwanne loves colours; blossoming and bright colours with which he ardently produces bold experiments that have plenty of light. He embellishes life. He rummages e embellishes light
more in portraits, focusing more on human faces in powerful poses that depict themes. These vary from freedom to oppression, those nagging issues that trouble man from time to time. Even when some of them are highly political, Nwanne artistically uses them to transcend notions and colours. He often extends these experiments to deal with gender, race, religion, love and relationships and more. In all these, he does not forget that it is the duty of an artist to embellish his works to reflect contemporary issues across nations and countries.
Nwanne’s several works have been sold at most Auctions including Tender moments, Coming to Terms and others. As at now, he is making waves, being involved in exhibitions here and there, building his career and cementing artistic ideals.