Wednesday 30 May 2012

Row over Zuma painting ‘settled out of court’


As the legal pronouncement over the right or limit of artistic expression of South African artist, Brett Murray was being expected this week, the African National Congress (ANC) appeared to have mediated for out of court settlement between the artist and president Jacob Zuma.
  The development came today after weeks of confrontation between Goodman Gallery, which displayed Murray’s “provocative” art and Zuma.
  The artist's work, a satirical depiction of president Jacob Zuma in genital display titled The Spear of A Nation caused controversy and chaos in South Africa as it revisits the president's alleged past sex scandal.
  A Press Release said to have been signed by ANC, Murray and Goodman states:  
  We appreciates that the display of the Spear portrait by Brett Murray at the Goodman Gallery has caused hurt and pain to many South Africans. We are also fully cognisant of the fact that this offensive painting has also been an insult, disrespectful and indecent to the image, integrity and the stature of the President of the ANC, Jacob Zuma. It is also our contention that this painting has violated the right to human dignity of the President of the ANC, Jacob Zuma, all members and supporters of the ANC and all fellow South Africans.
The pain and the hurt of the past two weeks caused by the Spear portrait as expressed above is now fully appreciated by the Goodman Gallery and the Artist, Brett Murray. Both say. "it was never the Goodman Gallery's nor Brett Murray's intention to hurt anyone or harm their dignity, the Gallery and Murray regrets the pain that the display of the painting has caused". We equally appreciate as the ANC that both Murray and the Gallery have realised that, " the image has conjured up past historical hurts and humiliations for some people in our country and the Goodman Gallery values both the constitutional rights of freedom of artistic expression as well as human dignity".
Brett Murray's The Spear after protesters defaced it inside Goodman Gallery

We believe that the lessons learnt in the last two weeks by both Goodman Gallery and Brett Murray and all of us fellow South Africans, will assist us not to repeat those hurting and painful mistakes in the future.
We therefore call upon the Goodman Gallery, Brett Murray and all South Africans to commit themselves in working for a South Africa where rights of all individuals are respected and where all of South Africans can work towards a South Africa that has a shared common value system, a South Africa that is united in its diverse cultures, a South Africa that appreciates.
its past and is working towards the healing of the humiliation and hurt of that past, a South Africa that belongs to all those who live in it, black and white.
Signed By on behalf of the ANC
Signed By on behalf of the Goodman Gallery and Brett Murray

Monday 28 May 2012

European Commission-African Union touring art show berths in Zimbabwe



Touring African art exhibition organised by the European Commission, Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels and African Union (AU), titled Visionary Africa: Art at Work is currently on at National Gallery of Art, Harare, Zimbabwe, ending on July 2, 2012. 
Cairo, Egypt version of Visionary Africa: Art at Work
   It was launched in 2010 at the EU-African Union Summit and later presented in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso last year during the Pan African Cinema and Television Festival (FESPACO).

  It's installation and photography. In January, the show also held at AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Cairo, Egypt in March this year.

  Designed to hold in capital cities of African countries, according to the organizers, “it focuses importance of culture and creativity as vehicle for development, deliberately timed to celebrate the 50th anniversaries of several African countries.”

  Each country has a sub-theme under the central focus of the itinerant exhibition. For the Harare show, it’s titled A Useful Dream.   

Sunday 27 May 2012

Controversy over artist's depiction of Jacob Zuma's 'Africaness' lingers

South African artist, Brett Murray's right of expression is not really free, particularly when his painting is suspiciously racist.
  The artist's work, a satirical depiction of president Jacob Zuma is causing controversy and chaos in South Africa as it also revisits the president's alleged past sex scandals.
The controversial lower part of Brett Murray's The Spear is covered in this reproduced image


   The 1. 85 metre high painting titled The Spear, which depicts Zuma in a Lenin-like posture and protruding penis has been defaced in the gallery where it was mounted, even as the president's party ANC has challenged the artist's right of expression in court. 
  The painting was reportedly bought by a German for R136,000 (£10, 345).
  Hearing over ANC's request to ban the painting continues this week. 
Anti-Brett Murray's painting protesters in Jo'burg

Benamaisia … From recluse to Colours of Nigeria


 BY TAJUDEEN SOWOLE
BEYOND the security challenges and recurring political tensions in the country, the artist, Israel Benamaisia, sees hope, which he describes as beauty of colours across Nigeria. He shares this optimism at a recent show titled, Colours of Nigeria, which held at the Arts Gallery, National Museum, Onikan, Lagos.
  Benamaisia says his participation in festivals and cultural activities across the country exposed these beauties to his palette. From Benin to the rest of Niger Delta, through the southeast, north and southwest, Benamaisia captures the beauty of dances and costumes at festivals and other cultural activities of Nigerian.
The artist Isreal Benamaisia (second on the left), Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, former Governor of Cross Rivers State, Donald Duke and the D-G, National gallery of Art (NGA) Abdullahi Muku during the opening of the exhibition
   For the Izon (South-South) and Ondo people among the Yourba, wedding appears to have won the artist’s attention, as he showcases the Izon Royal Wedding Procession as well as the Ondo Wedding ceremony.
   In the popular Arugungu Fishing Festival of Kebbi State, Benamaisia shows the excitement of such event in The Competitors.  
  The images — stylised representation and semi-abstract forms — expose an artist sandwiched by identity.
Fishermen's Stampede III, acrylic on canvas, by Isreal Benamaisia
  And when the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, led guests, which included the former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke; former beauty queen, Nike Oshinowo-Soleye and Director-General of National Gallery of Art (NGA), Abdullahi Muku, round the show, the artist was just too reticent to offer explanation about the works. Insignificant abstract or stylised pieces, as he says, “are exactly what I wanted, at least for the purpose of what I am doing right now.”
  Whatever his mission, he appears to have surrendered conceptuality to the dictate of the viewing public or art connoisseurs. And has been argued, an artist naturally possesses the intellectual strength to dictate the direction of the public’s perception, even manipulates people’s choice of collection to fit his concept. Benamaisia is not short of such quality.
   Why was he reluctant? “I am not afraid of anything. As I said, for this show, the message has to be conveyed in the simplest form; and I think figurative painting does that.”
   Indeed, the artist has a depth of conceptuality in his vein, as seen in such works as Geometric Composition and Fishermen’s Stampede III, simply acrylic on canvas, no protruding surface.
 
Sisterly support from ex-TV girl Ruth Benamaisia (right)
HOWEVER, he appears so passionate about promoting the beauty and colours of his fatherland such that the opening, though had light attendance, was rich in class of people who either came to view or tagged some works.
  Specifically, his mission, he says “includes a rich destination for cultural and artistic tourism and investment, and also to rekindle and sustain interest in our cultural heritage aside from emphasising the significance of culture as a tool for building mutual understanding among different peoples.”  
   He projects that the works will serve as visual documentation of the people’s culture in view of the fact that they are fast going through adulteration, infiltration and outright adaption of foreign ideals and colouration.”
  Having been out of the show circuit for over a decade, Benamaisia’s return with Colour of Nigeria may just be the platform to reassert his creativity, as he introduces a more textured surface on his canvas with the Plaster of Paris (POP).
  In his CV, he listed, as part of his past shows, a permanent exhibition at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos (2006 to 2009) and the United States Information Service/Yaba College of Technology Print Exhibition and others.

   Also, some of his works can be viewed at the Federal Palace Hotel, Nigeria LNG Ltd., Ecobank, Cactus Restaurant and Chevron Nigeria Ltd.

Ere Oloba Dance (Ekiti State)

Saturday 26 May 2012

Prospects, challenges of art outside the elitist market


By Tajudeen Sowole
 Despite the elitist mentality woven around art appreciation, there is, however, a quiet and consistent collection outside the common and regular space.

 Lagos and Victoria Islands are the art hubs, not just for artists, galleries, art connoisseurs and other stakeholders in Lagos, but across the country.

  However, through art galleries and art appreciation enthusiasts, who are based on the main and inter-lands, spilling to neighbouring Ogun State, there seems to be a prospect for stronger art enthusiasm in the future.

  Habitude Gallery, in G.R.A., Ikeja is though in the heart of the supposedly elites, but the level of collection, compared to galleries in Lagos and V.I. are not exactly different, the director, Burns Effion disclosed. He noted that masters such as Ben Enwonwu, Yusuf Grillo, Ben Osawe, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Solomon Wangboje, Kolade Oshinowo and others in this category “sell at optimum prizes irrespective of gallery’s location.”
   He argued that the notion of wide difference between Ikoyi / Victoria Island and mainland is a mere myth, and that the elitist advantage is not exclusive to the former. “There is false generalisation that Lagos and Victoria Islands have more art patrons than the mainland. I know of many high spending executives living in Ikeja who spend their fortunes in shops on the Lagos Island circuits.” Perhaps this is where the paradox comes as he noted that “most of the art material an artist would need are available on the mainland, the biggest art collectors in Lagos resides on the mainland.”

   Princess Theresa Iyase-Odozi is the CEO of the GreenHouse Art Empowerment Centre, Olambe, Ogun State, a gallery and art advocacy group. She said drawing a definite line is difficult.

   She stated: “I cannot be definitive on whether or not the prices of art works are sold at the same price on Lagos / Victoria Island as on the mainland or the periphery of Lagos. The price depends on several factors such as the perception of potential buyers, and their appreciation of the art piece, the level of income of potential buyers and the disposition of the seller. All these have nothing to do with the quality of the artwork. Valuing an art work basically depends mostly on the artist, who is the creator of his work. It is highly individualistic. When properly considered, the determining factors for costing a work of art by the artist are based on factors such as the urgent need to pay bills and competition among artists. With the above highlights, the Gallery owner is constrained.” 

  Goddy Archie-Abia, artist and proprietor of Win Arc Gallery, Off Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja shared his experience of combining marketing art and studio work. “Art sells more in Victoria Island and Ikoyi than Ikeja, but that does mean art lovers are more in the Islands.   Also cost of running art business in the Islands is more than the mainland.” 

  For the mainland, it’s more of trying to belong to a class, he noted. “Some people don’t appreciate art based on the understand of art language or value, but because their friends have art on the walls, so they also want it.”

  From the perspective of Iyase-Odozi who is practically at a further distance from Lagos, the challenges of managing a gallery are more. “Inadequate government support such as creating awareness and granting recognition as tourists attraction; poor infrastructure such as difficulty of access, which increases the cost of doing business; lack of art appreciation; lack of dedicated staff, and low patronage by the public. These constraints are made worse if you are not located in a highbrow or commercial area.”

  Gallery goes beyond the commercial value, she cautioned. The passion, perhaps, is the real drive. “We are not driven by the desire to make money only, we are able to accommodate the challenges. Meanwhile, we are making progress in creating awareness and art appreciation in our local community. Our major challenges are the bad roads, navigating the roads during the rainy season is a painful experience. Going forward, we hope that the authorities would sustain the on-going road rehabilitation efforts in Olambe/Akute road.”
Promoting art appreciation on the Mainlands, Princess Iyase-Odozi (centre) during one the events organised by GreenHouse Art Gallery in Ikeja
   Perhaps, one of the oldest galleries on the Mainland, Henrimoweta, located strategically at Anthony Village does virtually all the activities the better placed counterparts in V.I. does. The proprietor, Henri Moweta also argued that he sees little difference between Mainland and Lagos / Victoria Island when it comes to art appreciation.

  If the difference isn’t as much as perceived, why are the galleries in Mainland not organising art exhibitions regularly as done by their Lagos / V.I. counterparts? Archie-Abia, noted that artists have the penchant for the Islands based on perception that art exhibition is a hard sell in Ikeja.  “An average artist want to show in the gallery in Island to belong like any other person. They want a better value for their work so they think V/I and Ikoyi is a place to be.”

  Still on perception, Effion noted that “most art buyers travel to the Islands from the mainland to buy art pieces that are available here.” He argued that “it then makes sense to exhibit on the mainland, after all, Ikeja is the capital of Lagos.”

  Perhaps, the galleries on the mainland need to strategise and search for new ways of doing things. Iyase-Odozi disclosed that “So far individual artists have not been privileged to collaborate with us to mount their solos, but we have plans for such events at our new GreenHouse Art Empowerment Centre. For us to start this initiative, good packaging, good rendition and finishing of art works are what we promise and offer to the public. The primary objective is to create an educational and tourist centre, where families, friends and schools could benefit from our various offerings.”

   Archie-Abia challenged the hospitality and tourism sector in Ikeja to take look at art galleries as partners. “We have a lot of hotels in Ikeja, old and new, that have the capacity to partner with the few galleries in Ikeja to stage a show to encourage artist and also boost their hotel business too.”

   He also identified the challenges of managing artists as part of the hindrances. “Artists are unique people. For example, some want to build house with one piece of work. It is the gallery’s duty to advise them not to price themselves out of market.” 

 Bola Otetunji of Baryoet Art Gallery, Ojodu, few years ago had a show aimed at promoting art in her neighbouhood.

   It featured works of Elder J.I. Akande, Kazeem Olojo and Adedayo Dada. The event had in attendance the leadership of the Art Galleries Association of Nigeria, (AGAN), art enthusiasts and promoters, who operate outside the Mainland. It was an occasion for Baroyet Gallery to prove that, even in the Lagos sub-urban, there is an art gallery that is equally active as those on the Island.

  Oyetunji insisted that the ultimate goal of the show is to promote art in Ojodu and its environs. Quite a thoughtful one: art gallery business and appreciation should not be the exclusive affairs of people on the Island. 
Henry Moweta, a gallery proprietor (left) also had a show outside his Anthony Village mainland base, recently
   Meanwhile there is a group known as Art Artzero. They are artists and 'underdogs' gallery owners. They operate a peculiar kind of mobile gallery different from the regular art gallery exhibitions. It is a gallery managed by a group of artists in Nigeria with emphasis on self-marketing and promotion for artists.
  One of the founding members, Muraina Akeem, said the group also aimed at bringing art and artists closer to the people through distinct interactive activities/programmes, networking, collaborations, projection and publications in order to enhance better practice representation, understanding and patronage of Nigerian art in a global context.
  Established in 2002, Artzero, in addition to its regular show, Art on the Mainland, also organises Lagos Artist forum/Education and Workshops. “With a dream to upgrade professional skill and networking through organised studio interactions, exchanges, workshops and seminar; establish Artzero Resource Center for Research and Intellectual Exchanges; institute a Trust Fund to support members’ studio practices, viable projects, cooperative gallery and relative assistance.”

Ancient Ife art… proof of Africa’s contribution to world civilisation


 By Tajudeen Sowole
One of the works, Obalufon mask (copper, 14th – early 15th century).
  When the touring exhibition of Ife artefacts berthed in Lagos a week ago as Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria, it was a celebration of what has been established as one of Africa’s templates of pre-colonial civilisation.

  The opening ceremony of the exhibition, which was a major event of a week-long International Museum Day (IMD) 2012 themed Museums In A Changing World: New Challenges, New Inspiration also revisited the ancient Kingdom of Ife, as one of Africa’s earliest centres of commerce 15 centuries ago.
The Ooni of Ife,Alayeluwa, Oba Okunade Sijuade, Olubuse II arriving at the opening in his car
   In 2007, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Museum for African Art, New York, U.S. and Fundacion Marcelino Botin of Spain started working on the collaborative exhibition of artefacts of Ife origin. The exhibition, however, did not take off until 2010 when it opened at Foundacion Botin in Santander and Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Madrid, Spain. Consisting of works on loan from NCMM, it was also shown as Kingdom of Ife: Sculptures From West Africa at the British Museum, U.K., and moved to Houston, Richmond and Indianapolis, U.S. between last year and early this year.

  Early this year, the works were returned to Nigeria accompanied by American conservation experts.

  Although His Royal Highness, Alayeluwa, Oba Okunade Sijuade, Olubuse II, the Ooni of Ife, Ile-Ife was present at the Lagos opening, Prince Aderemi Sijuade read his speech. Tracing the civilisation of Ife, Ooni Sijuade disclosed, “the Kingdom was created by God Almighty before 10000BC and 8000 years before Abraham, the Jewish and Arab patriarch.”

  He argued that scientific evidences “point to Ife as the mother home of mankind.” 

The D-G, NCMM, Mallam Yusuf Abdallah Usman and the Ooni of Ife Alayeluwa, Oba Okunade Sijuade, Olubuse II during the Lagos opening of a touring exhibition Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria.
   The royal father recalled how the long history of Ife, in world civilisation, influenced the colonialists to treat Ife with due respect. He explained that the principal leaders in the amalgamation of Southern and Northern Protectorates of Nigeria such as Lord Lugard, colonial secretary, Lord Harcourt and Chairman, Royal Nigeria Company, Lord Cartwright “left Ile-Ife intact because up until 1904, Ife had boundaries with Lagos colony.”

  Earlier in her speech, the curator of the exhibition and Chief Curator Emerita, Museum for African Art, New York, U.S., Dr. Enid Schildkrout described Ife as one of West Africa’s earliest city states, at the period of large scale trading and growing academics in Islam across the Sahara, particularly with the Islamic University of Timbuktu, Mali being at its peak as centre of learning.

  She argued that as part of the increasing sophistication in trading and learning across West Africa, “Ife’s artisans produced colourful glass heads, metal-smiths became experts in casting extraordinary portraits in copper. Women and men created compelling images of animals and humans in clay.”

  Schildkrout traced what she described as the subsided wealth of Ife in the 16th century to exploitation and colonisation by European, which “shifted trade to Africa’s Atlantic coast, while regional wars disrupted life in the Ife region.”

  However, there seemed to be a resilience of Ife civilization as the curator noted that despite these changes, Ife has remained the Yoruba people’s spiritual centre for more than eight hundred years. The spiritual and creative influence of Ife, she argued, resonates beyond Nigeria. “There is no doubt that Ife art also inspires people with ancestral ties to Nigeria, whether they are in Brazil, New York, or Beijing, to feel pride in their homeland.” 
    On display were more than 100 works in diverse medium such as terracotta, stone and brass. These include, religious and cultural images such as Olokun (Head With Crown), Obalufon and other works of animal images.
Chief Curator Emerita, Museum for African Art, New York, U.S., Dr. Enid Schildkrout speaking at the opening.

  As the catalogue of the exhibition is being awaited, perhaps for more details on the origin and excavation of the artefacts, German ethnologist, Leo Frobenius whose mission uncovered most of the Ife artefacts would remain controversial.

  Reason: one of the most important pieces on display at the Dynasty and Divinity… show, Olokun (Head With Crown), has been described by experts as a replica of what Frobenius excavated in Ife between 1910 and 1911. The inscription attached to the mount of the work at the Onikan Museum says Possibly of early 20th century copy of a 14th to early 15th century original copper alloy from the Olokun Grove, Ife.   

  Suspicion by the British colonialists, over Frobenius’ excavation activities in Nigeria, according to sources, appeared to have been justified. For example, late museum boss, Ekpo Eyo had stated that “the original Olokun head described by Frobenius is now represented only by a copy; no one knows where the original is. It is not impossible that Frobenius could have arranged for its subsequent replacement with a copy.”

  Apparently, the original Olokun, and perhaps more works, were lost in transit between Frobenius and the British colonialists. 

  Revisiting the German’s mission in Nigeria, the British Museum, in a 2010 press statement recalled: “Frobenius was an uninvited if highly experienced, explorer and ethnologist, visiting Ife for just a few weeks and provoking arguments with most of the people he encountered. It is quite possible that he took the head and left behind a replica, as it was suggested in negotiations with the Ooni at that time. However, it could also be the case, as suggested by Frank Willet (another museum expert) that the reproduction was made sometime between 1910 and 1934, when it was brought to the palace for safekeeping.”


The Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke (left) and former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku.

ALSO stressing the Ife Kingdom of old as the centre of West Africa’s commerce and technology, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, who was at the opening in Lagos, recalled how the British Museum, through an art exhibition, confirmed this assertion when it listed Ife monarch as one of the four greatest ancient kingdoms of the world.

  Others celebrated, according to Anyaoku (a member of trustees of the British Museum), are “Emperor of China, the Babylonian king, the Mobilula of the Aztec (now Mexico,) the ancient ruler of Russia and the Emperor Hadrian of Rome.”

  Anyaoku stressed that the creativity in the Ife artefacts is a testimony of Africa’s long technological advancement as “its cultural artefact has greatly contradicted the concept that Africans had no civilization until the Europeans came”.

  He added that Ife, to those who understand its importance “is widely referred to as the source; the source of life, Yoruba civilization and humanity.”

  Perhaps in the mood of the International Museum Day (IMD), the Director-General of NCMM, Mallam Yusuf Abdallah Usman, explained that the role and function of museums in modern day keep changing. Museums of today, he argued, are rated based on what they collect and exhibit. “Through studies, museums have attempted to reconcile many cultures which in time past look distant and distinct from each other. In objects and their collections, museums have been able to reconcile history, buttress it where possible and jettison irrelevances and fallacies.

From the Royal family of Ijora, the Ojora of Lagos, Otunba Adekunle Ojora and Olori Ojuolape.
  For the Ife exhibition, the D-G stressed that “the true story being told is that of the glory, glamour and splendour of the Ife Kingdom that flourished for centuries contrary to the erroneous belief that African had no civilization.”

  The Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke stated that for the artisans of old to have produced “such unique artefacts that have continued to generate response from all over the world, there is a testimony of the hard work which should be the basis of the launch pad of our technological advancement.”

  Oladipe Soyode, who represented State of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Argbesola, asserted that the Ife works for the Dynasty and Divinity exhibition “do not only celebrate the State of Osun, but the entire black race.”

   He stressed that the exhibition also has shown that “if culture is properly annexed through funding, the sector will contribute to Nigeria’s technological growth and poverty alleviation.”


Essien preaches family value in Love Stories


By Tajudeen Sowole

When society places less importance on family value, virtually everything may go wrong, so suggests a new body of work by Nsikak Essien simply titled Love Stories.
  It opens at Nike Art Gallery from June 2 to 8, 2012.
 As the artist prepared for the show he declared with passion: “Man is on pilgrimage on this earth to raise the consciousness of unifying people.”
  And littering his four-room studio, in Ogba, Lagos, were works, mostly in large format as each attempts to shocase the artist’s revered image in mixed media. More importantly however, is the central content of these works: a mix between fantasy and reality.
  Leading his guest into one of the smaller rooms, where one of the works, supposedly, reflects this concept of love story, Essien, like a preacher, insisted that everyone owes the environment, irrespective of tribe, race or religion, the debt of unity. The work, though a distance from reality is best enjoyed from the perspective of its aesthetic content. It’s a family from the land of fantasy: Yoruba father, mother of Benin origin, and the child Akwa Ibom. It’s surreal. “Well… maybe that’s the idea, the concept of unity, which can only be told through love.”  
One of Nsikak Essien’s works, a painting on board, Letter From Abroad.
   In another work he tagged ‘Foreplay’, a couple playing the native ayo olopon game in the bedroom with their infant, placed between them, he said, is his idea of family bonding. And as the couple’s legs do the fore playing, from an aerial view, the artist asserted that it goes beyond the sensuous meaning of it. It’s about the child, Essien said, arguing that children who grow up “seeing their parents in this mood would always, and also share love and peace with others, wherever they go.”
  From the immediate home environment to the larger society, the communal value, which promotes peace, he said, has been lost, largely because of uncontrolled urbanisation. This much he explained in the work, Letter from Overseas. The work is not the typical Essien’s heavy-surfaced work as it subtlety roves around drawing and soft painting. He said it’s about the communal characteristics in the village where there is a collective effort to raise a child, irrespective of who the biological parents are.
  An ecstatic father, centralized in a composite, showing to a letter to a gathered crowd depicts “a father whose child from abroad just sent a letter.”
  Still trying to exhaust his Love Story concept, another work Sacrifice, about a father who sold his only cloth and used the proceed to send his child to school “is a tribute to a father in my village.”
  Aside the group shows of his association, Professional Fine Artists of Nigeria (GFA) titled Thresholds, held in 2009 and Crux of the Matter, 2010, Love Story is Essien’s main exhibition in almost ten years.
  In fact, it’s his first solo in over a decade. The artist’s concern for restoration of family value as an agent of change is indeed a passion. In the GFA’s Thresholds show, his work, a fantasy-like titled Papa Oyoyo!!! - (Dad's in, toys Out!), perhaps was a build-up to Love Stories.
Mixed media, Foreplay by Nsikak Essien


  As a widely commissioned artist, it appears that Essien is still trying to free himself from an aspect of his career that has given him so much. For instance, the heavy surfaced characteristics of commissioned work still takes a chunk of his space. Perhaps, it also makes him undetached from working with board, giving a zero space to canvas. “I work with heavy surface, so canvas is ruled out,” he said.
  And the traces continue as the studio is littered with quite a number of works such that, it’s difficult to know the state of production of each work. “I start all my works at the same time, and finish all at once,” he disclosed.
  For Essien, concentrating on one work at a time could remove the spontaneous strength in him.    
  Born in 1957 and studied at Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Enugu, from 1975 to 1979, Essien’s three decades of practice appears not to be showing any sign of weakness, even in the physical energy.
  At 55, and still a widely experimental artist, wouldn’t he need some studio assists to carry out his kind of work, which requires so much energy? Working alone, he insisted, “is part of my strength as I need to receive messages to get direction.” Messages? “Yes, spiritual messages, and I can’t get that with some guys around me here.” 
  The energy required in bringing his work to fruition would not also be detached from some of the wild concepts for this show. For example, a sci-fi kind of a three-headed horse flies into a viewer’s psyche with a 3-D quality.
  Why such a wild composite in the midst of the artist’s preaching for love? It’s about the economic challenges the people are facing, he said, noting that “living in Nigeria is like a three-headed horse; but by His grace, one can still have the best from the country.”
  Essien is also a founding member of Aka Group of Exhibiting Artists, a group that was last seen in public about five years ago.


Wednesday 23 May 2012

El Anatsui’s New World Map hits ‘gold’ for Bonhams

A world record for El Anatsui has been set as Bonhams’ Africa Now art auction just concluded in the U.K had the artist’s woven tapestry of flattened bottle caps, titled 'New World Map' sold for £541, 250 ($850,544).

According to Bonhams, “The huge masterwork by El Anatsui (born 1944) – a magisterial tapestry measuring 11ft by 16ft (350x500cm) - is similar to work the artist has shown at the Venice Biennale.”
El Anatsui's New World Map sold for £541,250 ($850,544).
  Giles Peppiatt, Director of Contemporary African Art at Bonhams, says: "We are delighted to have achieved a world record with this stunning work. It speaks of Africa in its use of traditional patterning but is very much of the moment – a massive hauntingly beautiful contemporary statement."
 El Anatsui is widely recognized as one of the world's foremost contemporary artists. He was born in Ghana in 1944 but is now based in Nigeria, where he is Head of Sculpture in the Fine and Applied Arts Department at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His work draws on the broad spectrum of indigenous African cultures and is particularly concerned with the erosion of inherited traditions by external forces and the nature of their continued transmission. He often links his work to events, people and current and historical issues.
  El Anatsui has used many different materials over the years, including wood, metal, clay and more recently repurposed materials. 'New World Map' is a prime example of El Anatsui's recent work, made from flattened bottle caps woven together into a shimmering tapestry.
These hanging pieces are based on the traditional narrow-strip woven silk cloth made in Ghana, a source of national pride. Similar works by El Anatsui hang in some of the world's most prestigious institutions, including the Sainsbury African Galleries at the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Pompidou, and the Smithsonian.
A fortnight ago another tapestry by El Anatsui, smaller in scale, sold at a Bonhams charity auction in New York for $722,500.


 

Bonhams Africa Now May 23, 2012 Auction Results

103 Ben (Benedict Chukwukadibia) Enwonwu, M.B.E (Nigerian, 1917-1994) 'Alusi Ogugu (Vision)' £ 1,875
104 Ben (Benedict Chukwukadibia) Enwonwu, M.B.E (Nigerian, 1917-1994) Jungle landscape £ 3,500
105 Ben (Benedict Chukwukadibia) Enwonwu, M.B.E (Nigerian, 1917-1994) Yoruba women pounding cassava 50 x 30cm (19 11/16 x 11 13/16in) (image size) £ 2,375
106 Ben (Benedict Chukwukadibia) Enwonwu, M.B.E (Nigerian, 1917-1994) Seated figure £ 9,375
107 Ben (Benedict Chukwukadibia) Enwonwu, M.B.E (Nigerian, 1917-1994) Cotton trees £ 6,500
109 Ben (Benedict Chukwukadibia) Enwonwu, M.B.E (Nigerian, 1917-1994) 'Africa Dances, Shadows of Rhythm' unframed £ 3,000
110 Ben (Benedict Chukwukadibia) Enwonwu, M.B.E (Nigerian, 1917-1994) 'Girls in waiting' £ 49,250
111 Twins Seven-Seven (Nigerian, 1944-2011) "Rejoicing Beasts" 1969. Ink on cut plywood, 24 by 48 inches £ 2,250
112 Twins Seven-Seven (Nigerian, 1944-2011) 'Resting mask' £ 1,500
113 Simon Okeke (Nigerian, 1937-1969) 'Head of a student' 40cm (15 3/4in) high (including base). £ 7,500
114 Susanne Wenger (Austrian, 1915-2009) 'Man and Leopard I' £ 3,250
115 Bruce Onobrakpeya (Nigerian, born 1932) 'Cyclist and the ram' £ 5,625
116 Jimoh Akolo (Nigerian, born 1934) Drummer in red £ 6,000
117 Malangatana Valente Ngwenya (Mozambican, 1936-2011) Fruit market £ 11,875
118 Malangatana Valente Ngwenya (Mozambican, 1936-2011) Inferno £ 4,750
119 Simon Okeke (Nigerian, 1937-1969) Head of a woman £ 4,500
120 Malick Sidibé (Malian, born 1935) A set of five photographs
24 x 17.8cm (9 7/16 x 7in) (sheet size); 15.8 x 16cm (6 1/4 x 6 5/16in) (image size). unframed
£ 3,250
121 Malick Sidibé (Malian, born 1936) 'Super Cycliste' 50 x 39cm (19 11/16 x 15 3/8in) (sheet size); 35 x 35cm (13 3/4 x 13 3/4in) (sheet size). £ 2,500
122 Yinka Adeyemi (Nigerian, born 1941) Yoruba village market unframed and unstretched £ 1,500
123 Alexander "Skunder" Boghossian (Ethiopian, 1937-2003) Fertility painting £ 16,250
124 Bruce Onobrakpeya (Nigerian, born 1932) 'Eyes at Haystack', a pair deep etching 68.5 x 50cm (26 15/16 x 19 11/16in); plastocast 70 x 51.5cm (27 9/16 x 20 1/4in). £ 2,250
125 Bruce Onobrakpeya (Nigerian, born 1932) 'Expaen Mueli Rame (Meralhase)' 24 x 18 1/2in £ 500
126 Asiru Olatunde (Nigerian, 1918-1993) Figure story unframed £ 1,500
130 Chief Jimoh Buraimoh (Nigerian, born 1943) Faces and creatures £ 3,125
131 Chief Jimoh Buraimoh (Nigerian, born 1943) At the market £ 2,000
133 Prince Twins Seven-Seven (Nigerian, born 1944) Garden of Eden £ 3,250
138 Bruce Onobrakpeya (Nigerian, born 1932) 'Jemoto Mri Ruoku' £ 4,375
139 Bruce Onobrakpeya (Nigerian, born 1932) 'Agbogidi' (image size) £ 1,000
141 Bruce Onobrakpeya (Nigerian, born 1932) 'Uyovbi Erhue' £ 1,875
142 Twins Seven-Seven (Nigerian, 1944-2011) The hunt £ 1,625
143 George Lilanga di Nyama (Tanzanian, 1934-2005) Busy figures £ 1,625
144 Bruce Onobrakpeya (Nigerian, born 1932) 'Erakive Emetore' unframed £ 1,500
149 David Dale (Nigerian, born 1947) 'Aquarium I' £ 1,250
150 Henry Munyaradzi (Zimbabwean, 1931-1998) Resting duck 16 x 33 x 19cm (6 1/4 x 13 x 7 1/2in). £ 2,125
151 Bruce Onobrakpeya (Nigerian, born 1932) 'Aro Oloko Emetore' unframed £ 687
152 Chief Zacheus Olowonubi Oloruntoba (Nigerian, born 1934) 'The World is my Village for Problem Solving' £ 5,000
153 Malangatana Valente Ngwenya (Mozambican, 1936-2011) Female forms £ 4,000
154 Prof. Ablade Glover (Ghanaian, born 1934) 'Blue Red Bloom' unframed and unstretched £ 5,000
157 Geoffrey Ernest Katantazi Mukasa (Ugandan, 1954-2009) Cock in blue £ 3,000
158 Geoffrey Ernest Katantazi Mukasa (Ugandan, 1954-2009) 'Portraits in brown' unframed £ 3,500
159 Amon Kotei (Ghanaian, born 1915) 'Needed Global Harmony' £ 6,000
160 Victor Butler (Ghanaian, born 1964) 'Conspiracy' £ 2,250
161 Kainebi Osahenye (Nigerian, born 1964) 'The Musician' unframed and unstretched £ 1,375
162 Prof. Ablade Glover (Ghanaian, born 1934) Rainforest £ 4,500
163 Chéri Samba (Dem. Republic of the Congo, born 1956) 'Kalasi Ki Nduenga' £ 15,000
165 Cheri Cherin (Dem. Republic of the Congo, born 1955) 'Les Pensionnaires des Paradis Artificiels' unframed £ 5,250
166 Tshibumba Kanda Matulu (Dem. Republic of the Congo, born 1947) 'La Mort des Inocents'; 'Le Monstre de la Cessession Katangaise', a pair each 41 x 63cm (16 1/8 x 24 13/16in). unframed £ 4,750
167 El Anatsui (Ghanaian, born 1944) 'New World Map' £ 541,250
169 Jacob Jari (Nigerian, born 1960) 'Untitled' £ 3,750
170 Nnenna Okore (Nigerian, born 1975) 'Agbogho II' (variant) £ 13,750
172 Zwelethu Mthethwa (South African, born 1960) 'Untitled (Gladiator 22)' (paper size) £ 8,750
175 Gerard Quenum (Beninese, born 1971) Dolls £ 1,187
181 Tony Enebeli (Nigerian, born 1956) 'Story-telling' £ 2,750
182 Francis Uduh (Nigerian, born 1964) 'Procreation' 117cm (46 1/16in) high (including base). £ 2,250
184 Uchay Joel Chima (Nigerian, born 1971) Girls in the hood unframed £ 1,375
186 Soly Cissé (Senegalese, born 1969) 'Gardien de Coutume' unframed £ 3,375
187 Frédéric Bruly Bouabré (Ivorian, born 1921) 'Gueie Gueie Legend', a set of four £ 3,125
190 Nyemike Onwuka (Nigerian, born 1972) Transition Transition unframed £ 4,375
190A George Lilanga di Nyama (Tanzanian, 1934-2005) 'Michego Ya Watoto' (Children's Games) unframed £ 3,750
190B George Lilanga di Nyama (Tanzanian, 1934-2005) 'Tukimaliza Kucheza Hapa Kiwanjani Kila Mtu Aludi Kwao' (When we finish playing here on the field everyone goes back home) unframed 
GFA Artists 
£ 3,000
192 Lekan Onabanjo (Nigerian, born 1967) 'The Dance' unframed £ 4,250
195 Sam Ovraiti (Nigerian, born 1961) Cloud of faces £ 1,625
196 Edosa Ogiugo (Nigerian, born 1961) 'The Waterside' (Market Series) unframed £ 5,000
199 Abiodun Olaku (Nigerian, born 1958) 'Transition' £ 9,375
200 Abiodun Olaku (Nigerian, born 1958) 'People's Paradise' £ 5,250
201 Duke Asidere (Nigerian, born 1961) 'Exploring Palmgrove' unframed £ 3,250
204 Sam Ovraiti (Nigerian, born 1961) 'Durbar (Royal Parade)' unframed £ 2,375
205 Sam Ovraiti (Nigerian, born 1961) Figures in a row £ 2,000
206 Reuben Ugbine (Ghanaian, born 1956) 'Lovers' 77cm (30 5/16in) high. £ 4,000
210 Tola Wewe (Nigerian, born 1959) 'Dream' unframed £ 2,125
211 Bunmi Babatunde (Nigerian) 'Bata Dancer' 99cm (39in) high (excluding base). £ 3,250
215 Ben Osaghae (Nigerian, born 1962) 'Kitchen psychology' unstretched 
  
£ 1,250