Embracing the Joy of Nigeria’s Thriving Arts Scene
By Adebimpe Adebambo
As a multidisciplinary artist working in multiple sectors of the local creative industry (art, fashion, film, and animation) and having participated in countless events over the last three decades, I am always filled with joy and excitement in the last quarter of the year.
September — December is when the creative scene is most agog: at this time of the year, there is so much creative energy, and there seems to be some race where all the creative juices flow super fast, like rivers that have overflown their banks.
Art, Art Everywhere
From Lagos and Enugu to Abuja and Yenagoa, a riot of events crowding up the calendar.
Moreover, a spectrum of inspiration and knowledge is in the air, just as creatives and audiences make organic connections. And almost everywhere you look, there are sales in various shades leading up to year’s end.
Like in previous years, the art shows trickled in and increased in tempo with every passing week. On 31 August, I hopped across three galleries (O’DA, Rele, and Gemini) in Lagos, attending exhibitions that one could say have unofficially ushered in the season.
At the O’DA gallery (10 Sir Samuel Manuwa Street, Victoria Island), it was heartwarming to see two young artists — Simon Ojeaga and Olumide Daniel — interpret the theme “AWA” (the Yoruba word for ‘US’) in unique ways using different mediums and styles. It was enlightening to speak with the artists and learn about their work process and the reasons behind their styles.
Through the work of both visual artists, we see the individuality and independence of being young while revealing how cultural traditions, particularly those derived from African heritage, can be a thread that connects various customs and lifestyles worldwide. Here, art becomes a visual link portrayed through youthful encounters. You are invited to “connect, reflect and embrace your inner youth.”
Art and a blank canvas
My next stop was Rele Gallery (32 Thompson Avenue, Ikoyi) for the solo exhibition (‘UNFRAMED’) by Josiah C. Josiah. It was a performance exhibition, which was a refreshing take as the works for the show were being created on the spot at the venue.
The walls that ought to have finished artworks have pinewood stretchers that would eventually hold canvases to be worked on by the artist. The fabrics for these canvases were laid flat on the gallery floors with primers in buckets at different corners. For the next few weeks, the gallery will serve as the artist’s studio, where he will create works daily, alone or with viewers’ input.
“Playing on the idea of sublimation, the psychological process through which base and mundane elements are transformed into something noble and fine, the gallery studio will serve as a blank canvas, from which Josiah will be making new work, without a predetermined destination in mind.”
Josiah invites guests to interact with him over several weeks. The intention is to foster intimacy between him and the viewer, allowing both parties to look for points of connection, however solid, fragile or tenuous they may be, as they witness an artistic process that is laboured and persistently revised.”
On the opening day, guests were invited to draw or paint whatever came to mind, using the art supplies provided by the artist within the gallery space. It was lovely to see little children create their art on the papers provided, and I did my little drawing, too. I look forward to seeing, in a fortnight, how this will play out and what drawings, paintings, and doodles make it to the final canvases.
A dozen and one stories
From there, I moved to Gemini Art Gallery (27/29 King George V Road, Onikan) for Emmanuel Bankole’s ‘Pacesetter’ solo salon Exhibition. It was fascinating to see tiny pieces of print textiles used to create visually appealing artworks with a mosaic quality with themes around family, life, living and survival with running threads of faith and fate. The show lasted only two days, and I felt privileged to see it at the opening.
Another exhibition that opened on the Saturday of my gallery hopping was Somtochukwu Obi’s solo exhibition, ‘Being Us,’ at the Thought Pyramid gallery (96 Norman Williams Street, SW-Ikoyi).
“This solo exhibition delves into Nigerian life, portraying the diverse stories, experiences, places, and lifestyles that define the nation,” says the gallery in a statement about the exhibition. I didn’t manage to see that at the opening, but I will surely see it before it ends on 14 September.
The ‘Woven Imagination’, a group exhibition of paintings and sculptures by 19 artists across three different sets of the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), also opened on the 1st of September at the Adeline Gallery (Yanna Studio 1B Adeyemi Lawson Street, Ikoyi). It runs until 15 September.
“What is Man,” a solo exhibition by Tosin Toromade, opened on 8 September at the Art Pantheon gallery (12D Bosun Adekoya Street, Oniru-Lagos) and ends on 6 October.
“Throughout the last few years of my career as a full-time studio artist, I’ve experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly — situations that many creatives can undoubtedly relate to. These ups and downs have shaped this present phase of my career. As I continue to grow and evolve in my artistic journey, fulfilling my divine purpose as a creative, I remain committed to telling each story as it unfolds,” says the artist of his project.
“I aim to be at the forefront of addressing the challenges we face as artists and as a people — challenges that often leave us misunderstood and marginalised. These issues, which affect our mental health and spark societal debates about what is right and wrong, compel us to question our very purpose.”
In Port Harcourt, ‘A Thin Line’ opened on 7 September at the De La Roke Gallery (17b William Jumbo, Old GRA, Port Harcourt).
“In this exhibition, five artists whose studio experiments show visible similarities in medium and style draw our attention to the layered meanings in their very similar experiences demarcated by location,” according to a statement from the curator, Primrose Ochuba-Adekemi.
“Their intentional engagement with the metaphors of cloth, psychology of colour, mastery of line and presence of texture offer a glut to the evidence that thin lines present. Through this exhibition, we expect that the several conversations raised by the pieces present in this exhibition open up conversations that provoke the mind and allow for the abundance of the outlooks that ‘a thin line’ offers while adding to the teeming conversations that describe the multiple perceptions that are life and living.”
When it rains, it pours
More exhibitions are also opening in September: Dr. Kunle Adeyemi’s solo exhibition, “Resounding Echoes”, opened on September 8 at the National Museum Onikan, Lagos.
The “DISCOVERED 2.0” group exhibition opens at the Thought Pyramid Abuja on September 14th. The NUDUS group exhibition opens on September 14th, 2024, at the Alexis Galleries, Victoria Island, Lagos. Aderinsoye Aladegboungbe’s IKORE solo exhibition opens at the National Museum, Onikan, on September 21st.
You would agree with me that the arts season is indeed here, and for any artist, lover of art, collector, or student of art nationwide, it is a season to be inspired.
Adebambo is a multidisciplinary artist who works in visual arts, fashion, film, and animation. She runs the blog asikobeampeh. Connect with her on Instagram (@adebimpea) and LinkedIn.
