Sunday 23 October 2016

'Excellent' Traditional Sculptures Of A Modernist, Ogiamen

By Tajudeen Sowole

In the weeks when the art landscape of Lagos enjoys activities populated with contemporary contents, a body of sculpture by septuagenarian, Roland Udinyiwe Ogiamen stands out, providing traditional texture.
 
Sculptor, Roland Udinyiwe Ogiamen, explaining his work during a preview.

Ogiamen, 71, belongs in the second generation of Nigerian modernists whose works adorn public spaces across Nigeria, particularly defining Africa's rich traditional value in artistic context.  Currently showing as Excellent Vision 2016, Ogiamen's themes are woven around the myths of African spirituality, rituals and philosophy.


Being of Benin, Edo State origin, the culture and value of his nativity, unavoidably, ooze in nearly all the 23 works on display. From figural to abstraction, either rendered in decorative or functional form - sometimes of dual purposes - Ogiamen brings into the Lagos art space, old, but resilient style and technique of traditional sculpture.


Quite of interest that Ogiamen's exhibition is being shown at a crucial period in the Benin royalty transition.  For example, an oval design table piece titled Coronation of Oba of Benin comes with graphic details, in four compartmented relief images tells a visual story of the royal ritual. The narrative takes off from what the artist describes as the Oba's ritual journey through "war stage" and lastly to the "final point of crowning." 


In Apa wood, the table further delves into the Benin philosophy and spirituality. The central part of the compartmented spread, Ogiamien explains, "is about the joyous people on earth and spirits in the other world." Though apart physically, the two worlds, he adds, "rejoice with the Oba" on the day of his coronation.


Still on the functional sculptures among the works, another table, Igue Festival depicts the Benin tradition of marking the end of a year. Though short of explaining what makes the content of ancient Benin Calendar, the work, a small centre table dated 1994 and done in Iroko wood further celebrates the artist's skill in details as regards traditional carving. 
      

From the iconic image of Iyoba (Queen mother), replicated in sculptures, to the modern, perhaps contemporary Benin woman, elegance and elaborate paraphernalia have been established as fashion statements across generations of the people. This much Ogiamen depicts in an elongated figure titled Binin Princess, in which the Benin traditional female decorative accessories enhances the beauty of being a lady.


Irrespective of the themes created by the living and departed masters, the fact remains that their works that adorn public spaces across the country are endangered. For example, with the death of renowned artist, Lamidi Olonade Fakeye (1928-2009), modernist sculptors whose strengths are in the depiction of traditional and ancient themes are on the decline. More worrisome, there appears to be a foggy future in replenishing the genre; young Nigerian sculptors are clearly contemporary in contents. The shift in generational content is no doubt creating a vacuum such that in the future it could be difficult getting artists to restore the old works in case of damages.


Recall that some sets of frieze by artist, Erhabor Emokpae (1934-1984) that forms a ring round the facade at National Theatre Iganmu turned controversial some years ago, after it was allegedly "retouched." With such situation, what hope lies in future for works of Ogiamien that might require restoration by another artist. Restoration, he argues shouldn't be a problem for artists to fix, particularly when the original artist is dead. He recalls that among all the artists that worked with Emokpae during the installation of the National Theatre frieze, "I am the only living artist." And after the great artist's death in 1984, "I led the completion of his works," he discloses. Among other departed masters' works restored by him, he says were that of Ben Osawe.


As fragile as wood sculpture is, compared to metal or bronze, good care, he notes is the real antidote in avoiding any need for restoration. However, care, perhaps comes with passion for art, particularly sculptures that are wrongly demonised by non-native African religionists of Christianity and Islam, in Nigeria. The religious "fanatics," he argues, "killed the art market in Nigeria." But the orthodox church, like "the Catholic", he notes "always believe you decorate the alter of God beautifully." 
  

Between sculpturing in wood and bronze, the Benin tradition in artistic expression, no doubt is more legendary in the latter medium. In fact, nearly all the iconic pieces of Benin art - within and outside Nigeria – are in bronze, with some in ivory. But in Nigeria’s modernism and post-modern periods, Ogiamen joins Emokpae and Osawe in projecting wood, perhaps, on equal pedestal with bronze. And that little is known of ancient Benin art of wood medium confirms the need for post-modern documentation of the people’s art. Perhaps, the Benin art needs similar documentation in the texture of Art and Risk in Ancient Yoruba: Ife History, Power and Identity, c. 1300, written by American scholar, Suzanne Preston Blier.

  
Bini Princess by Roland Ogiamen

In appropriating Benin art through the sculpture of Ogiemien, another modernist, Yusuf Grillo notes that the people’s traditional art is “exemplified in Benin wood carvers’ romance with modern artistic concept of personal individual probe as against group or tribal philosophy, norms, form and style.”


Grillo, 82, whose work cuts across all the known genres of visual arts also recalls the professional relationship between Emoakpae and Ogiamen. The late master, Grillo, discloses, “was a very fruitful influence on Ogiamen, as Ogiamen himself acknowledges.” Grillo explains that Ogiamen’s years with Emokpae “were very beneficial; they helped to unleash the genius inside him and laid the solid foundation on which Ogiamen has continued tirelessly to build.”

   
Among other works on display at Excellent Vision 2016 include The Strange Spirit, Harmony, God of Music, Prince of the Forest, The Polygamist, Echo of The Forest (Spirit), Mother and Child and Erhonmwen.

  A curatorial note from Moses Ohiomokhare of Quintessence Gallery describes Ogiamen work as an “exploit” that was generated in three periods. The curator group the artist’s periods: “In the early 60's was his period of apprenticeship and between 1969 and 1973 was his period of houseman ship under Emokpae who made a lot of beautiful designs for them to carve and work on, under his supervision.”


 Ohiomokhare however adds how Ogiamen’s Christian faith changed his themes from 1979, with sculptures such as Blessed virgin Mary, Loving Couple, Mother and Child, Father and son, Night Romance, among others. “These pieces now reflect his new mood centering around love of fellow human being and joy, although some are also traditional sculptural pieces.”

 Excerpts from Ogiamen’s bio: He was born into a family of educationists in 1945.


From being an apprentice to a sculptor, Mr Akpamwinda Omorege, when he moved to Lagos in 1962, Ogiamien houseman-ship under Emokpae between 1969 and 1973.


  Ogiamen has over 20 art exhibitions, 12 of which are solo shows between 1973 and 2002. His last group exhibition, Celebration of Life was held at National Museum, Onikan, Lagos and last solo, Back to Roots at National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Iganmu, Lagos.

Sunday 16 October 2016

For Ehikhamenor, Mode, A New Face In Managing Art Beckons



By Tajudeen Sowole

Art galleries' representation of artists in major outlets such as exhibitions and other art market spaces as well as in general management of creative professionals is not exactly new in Nigeria, particularly Lagos, which is a major art hub city in Africa. But when a non-art gallery group ventures into artist representation, it raises curiousity.

  
Enhanced World by
Victor Ehikhamenor


For those who have been following gallery representation of artists in Nigeria, the complexity of relationship with artists is well known. For the new face of managing creative professionals, artist/designer Victor Ehikhamenor and artist/jeweler, Mode Aderinokun are currently being represented by a Lagos based non-art gallery group. Interestingly, the two artists are among the fresh faces of contemporary space in the fledging Nigerian art.

 Indeed, managing creative professionals of other areas of The Arts such as in music, film as well as performing art, generally, by non-core practitioners in these fields are not strange. Importing such practice into visual arts, particularly when some artists involved may already have galleries representing them could be complex. "There is nothing to worry about," Rayo Falade of Temple Management Company (TMC) says to her guest during a chat. "Our focus is wider than gallery representation; goes beyond selling art as it include legal advisory and merchandising." Also, managing an artist's financing and  preparing  them for future, Falade adds, are among TMC's focus.


 Trajectory of artist representation in Nigeria has been troubled with quite a lot of unpleasant experience on both sides of the supposedly agreement. While artists, in most cases complain of lack of adequate financial commitment, the gallery always put up defence of suspicious and lack of trust. Every artist, Falade argues, should be able to identify which gallery best suits the kind of art he or she does. "Helping artists to identify the gallery that can properly represent their kind of work is exactly what we do."


Beyond regular and traditional spaces of art appreciation such as gallery, art fair exhibition and others, TMC, according to Falade "expands artists' scope to collaborate with fashion designers, musicians and others in the entertainment field." 


In a very dynamic setting of established and emerging artists such as Nigeria's, what informed TMC's choice of who to manage? The blend of traditional and contemporary contents in Ehikhamenor,  she says, "is the attraction for us because we believe in our culture and heritage." Mode, a relatively new and young artist, Rayo explains, represents the wide scope of TMC by looking beyond the established artists.

  
Described as a 360 management company, TMC also has among its list of creative professionals being managed across disciplines of The Arts. The company, according to a statement, has signed "management deals with some of Nigeria’s biggest talents, including Nigeria’s biggest record label Mavin Records, renowned disc jockey DJ Jimmy Jatt, media personalities Bunmi Davies and Funmi Iyanda."

  
Formally opened for business in March 2016, TMC, the promoters assures, set out with a mission “to continually improve on content, bridge the gulf between local talents and their foreign counterparts in line with international best practices." 


Tapping from his base as a designer, Ehikhamenor has brought a blend of nativity with contemporary contents into Nigerian art space. This much he exports across the world. In 2014, for example, he showed Chronicles Of The Enchanted World, a solo exhibition, at The Gallery of African Art (GAFRA) London, U.K.

  Trained in the art of animation and motion picture special effect (SFX) at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, US, Mode made her debut solo art exhibition in 2012  at Tarino Tower, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Wazobia, a painting by Mode Aderinokun


 Stared operations in March 2016, TMC, according to its management in the business of entertainment, sports, media and art to “bring Nigerian talents to the same table with their international counterparts.” Founded by investor and art aficionado, Idris Olorunnimbe, the company “has set out with a mission ‘to continually improve on content, bridge the gulf between local talents and their foreign counterparts in line with international best practices’. “


Mr. Olorunnimbe explained TMC vision:  “With the constant expansion of the entertainment industry and growth of sporting activities, our vision is to remain the leading African talent and event management outfit, representing the biggest talents in entertainment, sports, media, the arts and other relevant areas.”

Saturday 15 October 2016

Bank strengthens arts market on virtual space


By Tajudeen Sowole

THE impact of the Internet on how art is communicated across various outlets takes corporate texture as one of Africa's leading financial groups, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), connects artists with art enthusiasts and collectors, virtually. It’s not exactly a new medium; artists have always been on digital space, either as individual efforts or represented by virtual outlets. But the GTB initiative, known as Art635, appears like the largest gathering of artists in recent times in one pool for Nigerians and other participants of African descent.
 
Artist and Gallery owner, Mr. Biodun Omolayo, speaking at the unveiling of Art635… in Lagos













Inside a packed hall, the unveiling of Art635 was witnessed by a large turn out of artists. "It's a digital platform to find new markets, new ground for artists," General Manager, GTB e-Business, Mr. Bolaji Lawal, told guests as the opening of Art635's website. "This is just the starting point, and we expect feedback from the stakeholders."
   
Lawal assured that the platform would be "a win-win one," for participants. He, however, said, "It's not all about GTB, but the artists."

Modalities for participation, it was explained, include username login by each participating artist, leading to uploading of one work per artist in a week, onto the site. While artists have the freedom to create contents of choice, there is, however, a gatekeeper for Art635. Photo artist, Mr. Uche Okpa Iroha, who is the curator of the platform, advised intending participants to be "provocative" in concepts and contribute to the Nigerian leadership issue via visual narratives.
   
On the recurring issue of artists and business attitude to their career, a gallery owner and artist, Mr. Biodun Omolayo, shared his experiences as a guest speaker at the unveiling event. "Every artist is a businessman, potentially; maybe most of us do not know this," Omolayo noted. He advised that despite the "emperor" status of collectors, "artists must not come cheap" in getting the best from their creativity.
   
In a press statement that accompanied the unveiling, GTB described Art635 as a foremost online repository of African art with a mission to serve as a leading platform for the promotion of indigenous artists across the continent. While noting that art is one of the four pillars of GTBank’s corporate social responsibility policy, the bank recalled that its support for arts over the years ranges from collecting Nigerian artists to partnering with foreign outlets like Tate Gallery, London, and other arts institutions.
   
"With Art635, the bank aims to further its support for African arts by helping African artworks become not just seen and appreciated, but also to turn them into a much more profitable and commercially viable venture for indigenous artists, who currently earn very little from their works,” the statement stated. "This is in line with the bank’s initiative to go beyond the tradition of understanding corporate social responsibility as corporate philanthropy by intervening in the economic sector to strengthen small businesses through capacity building initiatives to boast their expertise, exposure and business growth."

The bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Segun Agbaje, was quoted as saying: "At GTBank we see arts as an avenue for unlocking people’s creative potential and by creating Art635, we aim to expand the opportunities for art education as well as broaden the reach and viewership of the works of indigenous artists.
  He noted that despite Africa’s centuries-old art, the continent's art "is still young and largely untapped and we hope with Art635, we can drive its evolution into a lucrative and vibrant economic sector.

Ogundipe returns in Mythopoeia


U.S-based artist, Prof Moyo Ogundipe opens his solo art exhibition titled Mythopoeia, from today, ending October 22, 2016, at Omenka Gallery, Victoria Island, Lagos.
   
Cotyledon of Songs, 2016, mixed media, 97 x 123cm
The gallery notes that each work of Ogundipe evokes a distinct response. Excerpts from gallery statement: “For example, Rhapsody is likely to arouse excitement with its bold, predominantly warm palette and sharp, diagonal thrusts, while Cotyledon of Songs, from the following year, is more likely to instill calmness, with its comparatively subtle, cool palette and intricate layers of patterning.


“Nonetheless, it is up to viewers to determine their own course through the paintings, and in this process, they may find meaningful parallels with life’s journey. In the end, the works, like the best myths, open up thought, providing forums for contemplation of the world in which we live.”

  
Prof Ogundipe, a prominent Denver painter, was born in Nigeria and fled its military dictatorship in the 1980s. Before leaving Nigeria, he was an art teacher, a graphic illustrator, an award-winning television producer/director and an independent filmmaker. In spite of all his creative pursuits, he has always considered himself first and foremost a visual artist.

  
Ogundipe has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting from The Hoffberger School of Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore.

   
He has exhibited extensively in Nigeria, Europe and the United States, including The Orlando Museum of Art, the Maryland Museum of African Art, the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, and recently, in African Renaissance: Old Forms, New Images at the Denver Art Museum.


Ogundipe’s paintings have been described as hypnotic, colorful and densely patterned. He paints in the rich tradition of the Yoruba culture of Nigeria and attempts in his paintings to evolve a style that is a fusion or synthesis between his traditional heritage and his Western education.


In 1996, Ogundipe was awarded the Pollock-Krasner Fellowship, and in 2005, he was invited to become a member of Africobra, an organization founded in the 1960s whose membership is comprised of distinguished African American artists.

How Bob Dylan picked Nobel Prize in Literature 2016



In announcing Bob Dylan as the winner of Nobel Prize in Literature 2016, the Swedish Academy, stated that the singer deserved the prize "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."

Bob Dylan
Professor Sara Danius, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy, who made the announcement was later quoted saying Dylan “can be read and should be read, and is a great poet in the English tradition."

 Dylan was born on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. He grew up in a Jewish middle-class family in the city of Hibbing. As a teenager he played in various bands and with time his interest in music deepened, with a particular passion for American folk music and blues. One of his idols was the folk singer Woody Guthrie. He was also influenced by the early authors of the Beat Generation, as well as by modernist poets.

Dylan moved to New York City in 1961 and began to perform in clubs and cafés in Greenwich Village. He met the record producer John Hammond with whom he signed a contract for his debut album, Bob Dylan (1962). In the following years he recorded a number of albums which have had a tremendous impact on popular music: Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited in 1965, Blonde On Blonde in 1966 and Blood On The Tracks in 1975. His productivity continued in the following decades, resulting in masterpieces like Oh Mercy (1989), Time Out Of Mind (1997) and Modern Times (2006).

Dylan’s tours in 1965 and 1966 attracted a lot of attention. For a period he was accompanied by film maker D. A. Pennebaker, who documented life around the stage in what would come to be the movie Dont Look Back (1967). Dylan has recorded a large number of albums revolving around topics such as: the social conditions of man, religion, politics and love. The lyrics have continuously been published in new editions, under the title Lyrics. As an artist, he is strikingly versatile; he has been active as painter, actor and scriptwriter.

Besides his large production of albums, Dylan has published experimental work like Tarantula (1971) and the collection Writings and Drawings (1973). He has written an autobiography, Chronicles (2004), which depicts memories from the early years in New York and which provides glimpses of his life at the center of popular culture. Since the late 1980s, Bob Dylan has toured persistently, an undertaking called the “Never-Ending Tour”. Dylan has the status of an icon. His influence on contemporary music is profound, and he is the object of a steady stream of secondary literature.

Bibliography – a selection 

Works in English 

Bob Dylan Song Book. – New York : M. Witmark, 1965

Bob Dylan Himself : His Words, His Music. – London : Duchess, 1965
Bob Dylan : A Collection. – New York : M. Witmark, 1966
Bob Dylan : The Original. – Warner Bros.- Seven Arts Music, 1968
Tarantula. – New York : Macmillan, 1971
Poem to Joanie / with an introduction by A. J. Weberman. – London : Aloes Seola, 1971
Writings and Drawings. – New York : Knopf, 1973
The Songs of Bob Dylan : From 1966 through 1975. – New York : Knopf, 1976
Lyrics, 1962-1985. – New York : Knopf, 1985
Bob Dylan Anthology. – New York : Amsco, 1990
Drawn Blank. – New York : Random House, 1994
Lyrics, 1962-1996. – New York : Villard, 1997
Lyrics, 1962-1999. – New York : Knopf, 1999
Man Gave Names to All the Animals / illustrated by Scott Menchin. – San Diego, Calif. : Harcourt Brace, 1999
The Definitive Bob Dylan Songbook. – New York : Amsco, 2001
Lyrics : 1962-2001. – New York : Simon & Schuster, 2004
Chronicles : Volume One. – New York : Simon & Schuster, 2004
Bob Dylan : The Drawn Blank Series / edited by Ingrid Mössinger and Kerstin Drechsel. – New York : Prestel, 2007
Hollywood Foto-Rhetoric : The Lost Manuscript / photographs by Barry Feinstein. – New York : Simon & Schuster, 2008
Lyrics / edited by Heinrich Detering. – Stuttgart : Reclam, 2008
Forever Young / illustrated by Paul Rogers. – New York : Atheneum, 2008
Bob Dylan : The Brazil Series. – New York : Prestel, 2010
Man Gave Names to All the Animals / illustrated by Jim Arnosky. – New York : Sterling, 2010
Blowin’ in The Wind / illustrated by Jon J. Muth. – New York : Sterling, 2011
Bob Dylan : The Asia Series. – New York : Gagosian Gallery, 2011
Revisionist Art. – New York : Gagosian Gallery, 2012
Bob Dylan : Face Value / text by John Elderfield. – London : National Portrait Gallery, 2013
If Dogs Run Free / illustrated by Scott Campbell. – New York : Atheneum, 2013
The Lyrics : Since 1962 / edited by Christopher Ricks, Lisa Nemrow and Julie Nemrow. – New York : Simon & Schuster, 2014
If Not for You / illustrated by David Walker . – New York : Atheneum, 2016.

Journalist, Ibrahim, is winner of $100,000 Nigeria Literature Prize 2016


Chairman, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Advisory Board Prof. Ayo Banjo, announced Abubakar Ibrahim’s book Season of Crimson Blossoms, as the best work in 2016.
 
Ibrahim beat two other finalists Elnathan John ('Born On A Tuesday') and Chika Unigwe ('Night Dancer').


Ibrahim, a journalist and editor of Arts and Ideas page at Daily Trust on Sunday, stated: "What I wanted to do was to, in a way, drag this part of the country that has been absent in the body of Nigerian literature into the mainstream. That was my major goal. Because there's no way you can tell the Nigerian story if it is not balanced and hasn't been for decades. We have had stories from the south about the south and nothing about the north, so the narrative isn't balanced. So something has to be done instead of sitting down and complaining.”


Before the shortlist, 173 authors participated in the competition, said the Prize’s Advisory Board.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature has since 2005 rewarded eminent writers such as Gabriel Okara (co-winner, 2005, poetry), Professor Ezenwa Ohaeto (co-winner, 2005, poetry); Ahmed Yerima (2006, drama) for his classic, Hard Ground;  Mabel Segun (co-winner, 2007, children’s literature) for her collection of short plays Reader’s Theatre; Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo (co-winner, 2007, children’s literature) with her book, My Cousin Sammy; Kaine Agary (2008, prose); Esiaba Irobi (2010, drama) who clinched the prize posthumously with his book Cemetery Road; Adeleke Adeyemi (2011, children’s literature) with his book The Missing Clock; Chika Unigwe (2012 – prose), with her novel, On Black Sister’s Street; Tade Ipadeola (2013; Poetry) with his collection of poems, Sahara Testaments and Sam Ukala (2014;Drama) with Iredi War.

The Nigeria Prize for Literature rotates yearly amongst four literary genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature. 

Sunday 9 October 2016

In Lagos, A Kenyan Experience Of African Art Appropriation


By Tajudeen Sowole
Loss of value, either as a result of of misplaced or missing provenance, has been widely responsible for improper appropriation of African art, particularly in foreign spaces.
Such distortion is even more visible when art of African traditional origin has to contend with contemporary space. 

Visiting Kenyan Scholar, Lydia Gatundu Galavu speaking during a Lagos interactive event.
Curatorial challenge, in this context, was the focus of a visiting Kenyan scholar, Lydia Gatundu Galavu who shared her thoughts with Lagos audience under the theme Displaying Traditional Art in Contemporary African Time, at Omooba Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Foundation (OYASAF), Maryland, Lagos. Galavu, a Ph.d Scholar on History of Art in Kenya was in Nigeria as the 2016 OYASAF Fellow.   

 Few days ahead of concluding her visit, Galavu told participants at the OYASAF Fellowship Interactive Session that choosing Nigeria as a resource to further her research was unavoidable. "Nigeria is in the forefront of creativity in Africa," she stated and noted that "OYASAF has the largest collection of African art."
   
However, appropriation of art of African origin is as crucial as the energy and other resources invested in collecting the works, either traditional, modern or contemporary. More importantly, as some of the continent's best collections – of traditional art - are on display in foreign museums, with quite a number of the of them being ancient also adds to the complexity of appropriation as well as getting proper provenance. For Galavu, the take-off point should be the reality of the period, which such collection is being handled. "Being in contemporary times, we need to fuse our art into the current understanding."
  
Sharing her experience, for examples, from spaces such as Berlin Museum, Germany; British Museum, London, U.K; and Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, U.S,. Galavu recalled that in quite a number of situations, the presentations were distorted. In fact, sometimes, non-African art, she alleged, were wrongly placed in African museum spaces. And where African contents existed, the texts, particularly on provenance, she said "do not represent the ideology behind the art and period."
  
Galavu's findings would not be seen as exactly new to the complexity of African art history space, particularly the academia of which she belongs. Nigeria, in indeed, is a case study, where lamentations over the dearth of adequate documentation of traditional art has been voiced at different fora.

 However, there appeared to have emerged new dawn in the last few years with quite a number if books on traditional African art. Among such books are a collaboration between Femi Akinsanya African Art Collection (FAAAC) and Sylvester Ogbechi titled Making History: African Collectors and the Canon of African Art; in 2013, Conversations With Lamidi Fakeye, authored by Yemisi Shyllon and Dr. Ohioma Pogoson, published by Revilo Company Limited; and last year, Art and Risk in Ancient Yoruba: Ife History, Power and Identity, c. 1300, a Cambridge University Press publication, written by an American scholar, Suzanne Preston Blier.
 At the OYASAF interactive event, quite a number of contributors from the audience agreed with Galavu on the danger of misappropriation. But again, the issue remains largely about the richness of documentation available to art managers, home and in the Diaspora. Also, the issue of not placing premium on anything of African origin was also highlighted.
  
In his contribution, the convener, Shyllon argued that "art is the only venture where Africa has competitive advantage in the world." He stressed how such advantage could help "to project our identity."

 Galavu is from Institute of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies, Nairobi University, Kenya.
Her Thesis is titled Traditional Art and the Individual: An ethnographic investigation of Turkana kitchen art. Galavu’s curatorial highlights included: AAM- Getty International Program: museum art professionals (2016), Washington DC, US;
Sanaa ya Makaratasi; exhibition of works on paper titled 'African Paper Art: Process, Substance, Environment  from 12 African countries, Nairobi, 2012;A for Africa Project, exhibition in Benin, Kenya and Burkina Faso (2009/2010)
International Symposium for Ceramic Education and Exchange, University College of Creative Arts, Farnham UK (2007/2008)
Exhibition Design, at the British Museum for development of the exchange exhibition Hazina (2005).  

Saturday 8 October 2016

In Lagos, GTB Unveils Virtual Art Gallery


L-R: Chichi Ikonta, Communications and External Affairs Officer; Tolu Onipede, Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, Oyinade Adegite, Senior Manager, Communication and External Affairs and Uche Okpa-Iroha, Curator, GTB635 Art Gallery at the inauguration of the bank's Art gallery in Lagos.

Meet Seven Ghanaian Artists Showing ‘New Threads’ in Lagos


They have been described as seven leading and emerging contemporary artists from Ghana. The artists: Kofi Setordji, Kofi Agorsor, Nii Obodai, Nicholas Kowalski, Constance Swaniker, Nyornuwofia Agorsor and Nana Anoff are showcasing 69 unique paintings on canvas and jute, sculptures and photographs.
  

Sculpture titled See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil by Kofi Setordji.


The month long exhibition which opens to the public on Monday October 10, 2016 at Temple Muse, Victoria Island, Lagos is a testament to the evolving artistic ecosystem of our longstanding neighbors and art in Africa as a whole, explains the curator, Sandra Mbanefo Obiago. 

  “New Threads is premised on a modern fabric of creativity woven within the context of an ancient loom of rich artistic ancestry, but presented in contemporary colors and expressions that address current global issues.  A recurring theme in the exhibition is the interwoven renewal of universal symbols through expressions of modernity. The artworks address frontline issues such as migration, environment, emancipation of the girl child, leadership and democracy.”

  The exhibition runs until 17, November, 2016 and is sponsored by UBS, the Swiss global bank, and Moet-Hennessey, both organizations which are committed to nurturing the best of creativity globally.

Thursday 6 October 2016

For Olagbaju, Art Collecting Passion Stops


By Tajudeen Sowole
ART appreciation and patronage in Africa suffered a great loss when one of the continent's leading collectors, Mr. Sammy Olagbaju, 75, died during the last week of September 2016. Though based in Lagos, Olagbaju's texture of art collection transcended his base; he collected art from countries across Africa.
  
Sammy Olagbaju (left) with Obi of Onitsha, Igwe  Alfred Achebe during the launching a book,
titled Contemporary Nigerian Art in Lagos Private Collections in 2012.

For more than two decades, Olagbaju was among three of the regular art collectors whose presence at art exhibitions in Nigeria were synonymous with the number of red tags on the walls of galleries. The other two collectors, Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi and Omooba Yemisi Shyllon, in enriching art appreciation space of the country, founded Visual Arts Society of Nigeria (VASON). Olagbaju died as the chairman of the group.
  
Beyond collecting art, Olagbaju also extended his love for art appreciation to the terrain of documentation. In 2012, he sponsored the publication of a book titled, Contemporary Nigerian Art in Lagos Private Collections. A 302-page hardcover, the book documents works of over 90 artists in the collections of over 35 patrons, and was edited by a Lagos-based Spanish architect and art critic, Jess Castellote and published by Bookcraft.
  
Sectionalised in periods, the book has in the pre-independence era 21 artists such as late Ben Osawe, Yusuf Grillo, Muraina Oyelami, Kolade Oshinowo, Raqib Bashorun and Felix Osiemi, among 21 others. And among 33 artists under independence generation are Mike Omoighe, Biodun Olaku, Chinwe Uwatse, Rom Isichei, D
Duke Asidere, Toyin Alade, Edosa Ogiugo and Bunmi Babatunde.
  
When the book was presented at the Metropolitan Club, Victoria Island, Lagos, Olagbaju said documentation of Nigerian art as contained in the book “is my contribution to art,” arguing, “until more books like this are published, many artists would not know where their works are.”
  
Olagbaju sponsored quite a number of art exhibitions, particularly those featuring works of young artists. There is no doubt that the Nigerian community of art professionals would miss Olagbaju's humility, which he displayed widely in art appreciation.
  
Shortly after the news of his death pierced through the art landscape of Nigeria, president of Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), Oliver: Enwonwu said: "it is indeed painful to hear about the passing of Mr Sammy Olagbaju, a collector, patron and lover of the visual arts, as well as friend of the Nigerian artist."
  
Olagbaju was a strong member of The Ben Enwonwu Foundation and helped sustain the Foundation's annual lecture for very long time. "The art community and Nigeria as a whole has lost a very fine and humane gentleman and pillar of support. We are strengthened by his words of advice and the works he left in promoting our visual heritage," Enwonwu, son of the late Nigerian modernist stated. "The Society of Nigerian Artists commiserates with his family and those he left behind in this difficult time. Adieu Uncle Sammy, Rest in Peace."

A former president of SNA and one of the artists whose works dominate Olagbaju's walls, Mr. Kolade Oshinowo, noted, "Uncle Sam as a rare breed," adding that he was "a great art patron and a fine gentleman who managed to harmonise his net worth and self-worth."
  
Among the attributes of Olagbaju, according to Oshinowo, was being "a very humble man who took enormous interest in other people's joy, satisfaction and progress, and deeply interested and committed in elevating the visual arts in Nigeria. He will be greatly missed."
  
Curator at Quintessence Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos, Mr. Moses Ohiomokhare, described Olagbaju as "a very intelligent man with a good sense of humour." He noted, "The art industry has also lost a great collector, art critic and supporter of emerging artists." Apart from the art appreciation passion, Olagbaju "also offered help to the less privileged and put a smile on their faces."
  
Still on general sphere of life, Olagbaju, according to Ohiomokhare, "was also a good counselor, offering quality advice to couples in distress. He would surely be missed."
  
Professional career of Olagbaju included, among others Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Stockbrokers Ltd; Head of Corporate Finance at NAL Bank, Lagos; Chairman of Marius Limited, Chairman and co-founder of Midas Merchant Bank; and Director of Niger Delta Exploration & Production Plc and Sproxil, Inc.
  
Hounours for Olagbaju included being a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers Nigeria, an Honorary Senior Member at the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. In 1964, Olagbaju obtained a Masters Degree in Economics and Political Science at Trinity College, University of Dublin, Ireland.