At a national art competition, ‘non-artists’ call the shots

With the emergence of a First Prize winner, last night, at the grand finale of African Artists Foundation (AAF)-organised National Art Competition, in Lagos, it appears that artists in Nigeria may have been losing grip on the future of art in the country.

First Prize Winner, I-DentitiTrees by Sesu Tilley-Gyado

This much was echoed in the controversial First Prize I-DentitiTrees by Sesu Tilley-Gyado. Few minutes before the announcement of the three winners, the leader of the jury, Prof El Anatsui, in his speech disclosed that the winner was arrived at through “a democratic process”. The votes of the three artists in the jury, he stated, were “overwhelmed” by that of “the non-artists”.  

Tagged, IDENTITY: Who Do You Think You Are?, the competition has First Place, Tilley-Gyado gets N2 million naira; First Runners up, a collaboration of Halima Abubaker and Zemaye Okediji, N1m Naira for Outstanding Concept; and Victoria Udondian’s Arti-tude, N1m for Outstanding Production.

Other members of the jury were Bisi Silva, Oliver Enwonwu, Francois Sastourne, Maki Osakwe, Yasue Maetake, Caline Chagoury, Yvonne Ike, Michelle Okocha and Prof Peju Layiwola.
(Full report soon).

'Celebration'… Unchaining Akinwumi’s art for broader appreciation

By Tajudeen Sowole

For over two decades, Peter Akinwumi’s technique of embossing soft metal has evolved through several stages, winning followership, quietly, in private and corporate circles. But a broader public pedestal to share and document his art has been missing. 

Breaking the long period of non-presence of his work in the art exhibition circuit, Akinwunmi shares his technique of “dot-beaten metal art” with the public on a broader scope as the artist’s debut solo art exhibition  titled Celebration, opens tomorrow, ending  November 14, 2013 at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos.

One of Peter Akinwunmi’s 'dot-beaten ' repousse chasing relief works, The Talking Drum Speaks

Akinwunmi’s career of over three decades –including pre-formal training years – is a case study in creating art without adequate documentation and broad appreciation. Arguably, Akinwunmi has put into his art a wide experimentation by bringing art and craft into a synergy of resilient sculptural value. But the creative energy he has invested into his career seemed to have been confined to commission works and few display at galleries, not exceeding commercial-driven purposes.

With the theme, Celebration, Akinwumi has his own ‘chains of Amistad’ loosened in the exhibition, which is a step towards documentation and appreciation of his over two decades of research and mastery of relief art. “I started experimenting to advance the repousse since 1992”, he recalls during the preview of Celebration. But he laments “not having a solo art exhibition since my career”, despite boasting of being the promoter of a modified repousse art technique, coined “dot-beaten”, produced mostly in aluminium.

The works include portraits of unidentified drummers titled The Talking Drum Speaks, produced in oil on dotted aluminium; and the themed work Celebration .2.oil on embossed aluminium(, dot-beaten metal and carved wood.

Akinwunmi recalls what he describes as “playing around repousse and chasing as a secondary school student in 1983” while operating a small craft business as a young artist. “I used this technique in embossing zodiac signs and cooperate logos for decoration on doors, pendants and wallets.I also used foils derived from coverings of beverages and toothpaste tubes for some miniature reliefs, as wall hangs”.

He describes repousse As a metal working technique in which metal is ornamented or shaped by beating from the reverse side to create designs in low relief. And chasing is the opposite technique to repousse and the two are used in conjunction to create a finished piece.This can also be called embossing.

The artist traces the history of the technique in contemporary Nigerian srt to decades ago, when the Osogbo artists emerged on the art scene. He argues that repousse chasing  “was first explored by Olatunde Ashiru and his brother after recieving trainning through the Mbari Mbayo school under the tutelage of Susanne Wenger”.

For Adewunmi, there was need to move beyond the traditional repouse and change the technique. So, in 1992 he  started taking it“beyond the point of using it for logo designs and other craft purposes”

As a trained sculptor, who has “extensively worked on reliefs in several media “ re-inventing the technique, he boasts, was easy for him. “By late 1992,my motivation was to use repousse and chasing technique in creating relief impression similar to what one can achieve with material like clay,cement,wood and other easily manipulative sculpture media.I wanted to see wide dimension of metal spread,bearing figures that are well embossed,with convincing and definable features.I wanted to see interesting portrayals of drapery,not marked by tools ,but beaten into form with well varied concave and convex contours.

In his Artist Statement, Akinwunmi explains his adventure: “At the beginning, the whole exercise was slow and painstaking.I took a giant strive to cut down on field work(interior and exterior beautification of Buildings) which supplied most of my income back then.I withdraw back to the studio in Benin City,and started the journey with the main goal of succeeding.

"At the end of 1998, i  was blessed with a space by Enotie Ogbebor at Curio Studio,in Rita-Lori Hotels at Babs-Animashaun where i shared space and ideas with in-house Artists like Dafe Sowho,Ehi Obinyan Kabat Esosa,Bob Aiwerieoba,Enotie Ogbebor and many others.

 Curio Studio provided room for me to practically define my newly included use of ‘Dots’ to go side by side the repousse and chasing technique.I  discovered that dots, if judiciously employed ,helps to make the metal controllable to create more detailed reliefs with little or no torn background after work

  “As Years rolled by,i made mistakes here and there. I received appraisals and criticism from friends Clients ,Colleagues and Galleries,who all contributed morally and financially in sustaining this personal course.

Another dot-beaten repousse chasing by Peter Akinwunmi

In the last Ten Years, I have tried to put together an exhibition in celebration of a mission i engaged in which i achieved what i originally set out to do.I have perfected repousse and chasing and also developed the Dot-Beaten Metal technique which for me is a big plus.I strongly believe that am still learning and more ideas will open up as i march on.

 “Now am finally able to turn out few works in appraisal of the journey i started with this medium  30 Years ago,on toothpaste tubes and beverage foil.This exhibition is simply titled ‘Celebration’, to show gratitude and celebrate  everyone i met along the way,who contributed in making my dream a reality.A million thanks to my Wife, Family,Clients,Friend and Galleries who all played a big role in bringing this vision to Life.

Most importantly, my biggest thanks go to God, my number one Muse.I know He lives and he alone sparked this light within me.I am grateful!"

'Afro Love'…a retrospection of resilience for Edozie

By Tajudeen Sowole

For every creative professional in a challenging work environment such as Nigeria’s, artist, George Edozie’s new body of work titled Afro Love showers praise.

In a reflective theme, Edozie uses his career as a prism through which most creative professionals, particularly visual artists, would find similarities. With 18 painting and two sculptural pieces, the artist who until now has done his works strictly on canvas shares his experience of 18 years career via Afro Love, his fourth solo art exhibition, which comes to a close tomorrow at Alexis Galleries, Victoria Island, Lagos.

He argues that the challenges of hostile environment is common among Africans at home.. In fact, he discloses that he was going to title the work “Negro Love”, but thought of the “offensive” connotation that the word ‘Negro’ generates. 

A painting, City Girls from George Edozie’s Negro Love

 Defending his passion for art, Edozie stresses that “for 18 years of my career, the environment in this country has been very unfriendly, but because of my passion for art, I have been able to face the challenges”. Comparatively, he argues that “artists abroad are not better than Nigerians working here, given the same level playing field”.

  One of the works, Negro Couple highlights the extended family culture, which though has its advantage, but often times incuse into the privacy of a couple. For example, “delay in having a child, financial responsibility to siblings and others distract black couples and affects success in professional callings”, the artist states.

Viewing his career from these socio-cultural challenges and the attitude of the general public to art, Edozie notes that art, over the years has been misunderstood or narrowed down to lowly “luxury” and “just decorative item”. Artists and promoters, he urges, need to educate people that the value of art is about “strong message, recording history, and mirroring the society”.

During the last edition of Pechakucha Lagos at Goethe Institut, Edozie was among the artists and designers chosen to present their works. At that event, Edozie presented his first sculpture of fabrics, a lettering he did for Lagos Business School. But with Afro Love, he has taken the fabric sculpture technique higher. in just two works. he seems to have announced his arrival as an artist whose skill transcends painting on canvas. 

Fabric sculpture, he recalls, has been a work in progress for him “nine years ago, but has not shown it in the public”.

The curator, Mrs. Patty Chidiac notes that Afro Love is Edozie’s “largest collection” at a single show in recent time. She describes the artist’s style as a rendition “with the pallet knife using thick layer of bright pigments adoring his canvas and bringing that radiant feeling to the viewers”.

The exhibition, like previous shows, Chidiac explains could not have been possible without the support of art loving corporate organisations such as Chocolate Royal, Cool FM Lagos, Nigeria Info, Lagos, Arra Vineyards, Homestores, Veuve Clicquot and Wazobia 95.1 FM, Lagos.    

For the artist who is also a co-curator at Alexis Galleries “art is a universal language which cuts across different cultures or races”. He supports his assertion with what he describes as his experience  about “people acquiring works of Art without knowing the Artist’s cultural background, not speaking the same language with the Artist or understanding the symbols and designs in the work”. 

Edozie has shown in 69 group Exhibitions within and outside Nigeria. He is also the co-author of the book 101 Contemporary Artist, A Celebration of Modern Nigerian Art, published in 2010.      

He is one of the co-founders of the Art group Artzero and also an Art consultant at the Alexis Gallery in Lagos. He was part of the exhibitions Africa Now organized by the World Bank for emerging African Artist at the World Bank main complex Washington DC USA in 2008 and African Way of Art, La Galerie Vendome Paris France in 2011. George has successfully curated 13 exhibitions in the US, France, UK,

Sorry, Nollywood 'not good enough' as two African films make Golden Globe, Oscar list

On December 12, Africa will have the chance to confirm its genuine arrival on the global movie scene as two films from the continent have been included in the pre-selection of 2014 Golden Globe Awards and Oscar nominees.

 

Tey Today / Today, directed by Senegalese,  Alain Gomis

The films include Tey Today / Today, director, Alain Gomis (Senegal) is nominated as well as God's Horses (Horses of God) by Nabil Ayouch (Morocco). The final inclusion of the films as nominees will be confirmed ir on December 12, 

And as the ‘Giant’ Nollywood is conspicuously missing, the Moroccan director, Nabil Ayouch, takes a double; he is also on the list of pre-nominees for the world’s most prestigious movie award, the Oscar.

The compilation of  pre-nominees for the Best Foreign Language Film categoryis done by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Smithsonian’s Museum of African Art gets $1.8 million gift from Oman

A historic donation of $1.8 million to the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of African Art from Oman, which has been described as the largest donation in the museum’s history would come as a relief for the revered facility.

 

Representatives of Smithsonian and Oman authority during the presentation

Few months ago, The Smithsonian Institute indicated a state of financial distress when sources disclosed that the Washington base museum was frantically seeking donations to sustain the facility. In fact, one of its directors who was on a visit to Nigeria last few months ago was quoted as urging individual and groups in African to come to the rescue of the museum.

According to Washington Post and Al-Arabiya, the gift, which was announced  on Wednesday will fund a series of programmes tagged “Connecting the Gems of the Indian Ocean: From Oman to East Africa.” It was disclosed that the programmmes will focus on Omani arts and culture and the links between cultures in East and North Africa and the Middle East.

The Museum was delighted as it noted that the gift is a significant milestone for the museum, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2014..

In U.S., African film festival honours veterans

When Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) holds its 22 nd edition on February 6-17, 2014 at the new Rave Cinemas Baldwin Hills 15, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, Los Angeles, two of the Hollywood's behind the scene big names, Roz Stevenson of Roz Stevenson Public Relations and Jeff Clanagan of CodeBlack Enterprises will be honoured.

 

Roz Stevenson

Known as America's leading and prestigious Black film festival, PAFF was founded in 1992 by Hollywood actor, Danny Glover; actress, Ja’Net DuBois; and executive director, Ayuko Babu.

The festival screens, approximately, 150 films of African descent, every  year with entries from the U.S, Africa, the Caribbean, South America, the South Pacific, Latin America, Europe and Canada.