By Henry Akubuiro
The glamorous LIS10 Gallery, Arezzo, Italy, will be the cynosure of all eyes as seven contemporary Nigerian artists storm the gallery for a group exhibition entitled “An Ensemble of Voices”, opening on November 18, 2023, and running till January 13th, January, 2024.
The seven artists – Ebenezer Akinola, Habeeb Andu, Ola Balogun, Oluwole Omofemi, Opedun Damilola, Tope Fatumbi and Michelle Okpare – will be having a group exhibition for the first time.
The groundbreaking exhibition will be curated by celebrated Nigerian artist, Oluwole Omofemi, and Alexando Romanini.
“An Ensemble of Voices”, said the curators, “is not only a futuristic conceptual project but a mnemonic encounter with the richness of Nigerian cultural values and her historical pedigree which cannot be over-emphasised.”
Besides, “In the past, there have been many stories, books, documentaries alluded to the incredible influence, actability, relevance and specialised peculiarities of contemporary African Art- specifically Art of Nigeria.
“In order to activate the understanding of this, the show will be a reflection of the diverse perspectives, experiences and narratives that is to be expressed by exhibiting artists, without leaving behind the cogency and vision of the show-showcasing the influence of tradition and westernisation in Nigerian art thereby depicting a demonstration of Art of Nigeria, then and now.”
Also, the group exhibition promises to document and celebrate the richness of the Nigerian culture and the multiplicity of voices shaping the artistic landscape of Nigerian Art scene since the beginning of what we now refer to as Nigerian Art, that is, how these voices (works of each artist) speak differently yet convey a similar essence in terms of cultural identity, history, tradition, lifestyle, political ideologies, cultural background.
The curator explained further that, in documenting these historical elements, we can not but try to sync the past and the contemporary together: “The fact that westernisation plays a big role in influencing the works of these artists but devoid of practically stealing away the originality and narrative around them. For the past decades, the elixir of contemporary African art has been culture inclined in a way that suggests dynamism from other forms of Art with their influences drawn from other elements of the world around them rather than culture and tradition.
“Do we then arrive at the idea that westernisation may have overshadowed the true essence of an African artists’ work? Or do we simply just see the presence of westernisation in the works of these carefully selected artists as a conscious embrace of the positive and negative effects of western culture? How do we begin to understand the distinction between the role westernisation played in the ancient history of Africa-Nigerian Art and its impact now? What changed, what remained?’
Also, this exhibition is set to operate in the context of the aforementioned with relevant historical documentaries and events as intertextual information.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Sun from his US base, one of the exhibiting artists, Dr. Ola Balogun, said the theme of the exhibition intended to do justice to the armada of artistic voices coming out of Nigeria.
Hence: “We use our voices to tackle issues pertaining to society, culture, race, migration, and what have you –things that bother human existence; things happening globally. Artists use their voices to support, proffer solutions to things going on all over the world. This exhibition is a convergence of different voices,” he said.
Dr. Ola Balogun, who graduated from Auchi Polytechnic, in 1999, has been fecund with the creation of quality artworks in different countries he has sojourned.
Reflecting on his journey so far as an artist, he said his art was and is still experiental in nature: “I use my art as a tool to express and share my experience to connect with people all over the world. My art is like my mouthpiece.”
He will be exhibiting three pieces in Italy. The first is “I am Here”, a work about migration. He has sojourned to Germany, Bahrain, London and now resides in America. So this particular work is a reflection of what immigrants pass through in the journey to self-fulfillment.
He is also exhibiting “Our Roots are the Same”. The artist told Daily Sun he “focuses on people of colour, especially blacks, whether you are from Africa or Caribbean countries. “We have the same roots,” he said, no matter where you come from, if you can trace it – especially people from Brazil, Haiti, Colombia, Nigeria or Sierra Leone.
“When we meet in different places abroad, we have the same goal and encounters, though the cultures may be different. We face the same challenges and encounters, including racism. I use my art to tell people not to look down on immigrants.”
The third work he is exhibiting is entitled “The Story of Us”, which is about bringing people from different places together. He explained: “When we come together, we have different stories. Some migrate because of economic reasons and some because they want to unite with their families; others because of security challenges where they are, environmental situations or due to discomfort. My art mostly centre on race and identity.”
Speaking to Daily Sun, another household name in the Nigerian art circle, Ebenezer Akinola, said he was excited about the forthcoming show: “I am excited about the theme of the group exhibition. Being an African, I am excited we are making waves internationally, especially Europe, and I really believe we are going to sell out such that people are going to be like Oliver Twist, asking for more.”
He hinted that what the seven artists were going to present in Italy was a departure from what they were used to seeing in Italy. “Each of the stories have stories to tell,” said Akinola, upbeat, who will be exhibiting three works – “City Boy”, “Good Gal” and “Chilling with my Bae”.
What he does in his artworks is basically to use what people, especially Africans, can relate with and see themselves in them. “I don’t want to present poverty,” said the artist, who doesn’t like relegating Africa to the background in a stereotypical depiction.
“As an artist, what I see are good things about Africa. What runs in the blood of the whiteman also runs in ours. Somehow, we are the same. Love is a universal thing; being a good girl or city boy is a universal thing, also,” he affirmed.
Sharing his view, Opedun Damilola told Daily Sun, with the exhibition, “It means I have got another opportunity to continue to preach the message of equality, love, camaraderie, and the conscious knowledge of our true identity as a single human-race.”
He will also be exhibiting three works – “Colours of Heaven”, “Landlords” and “Celestial DNA”. Explaining the bent of his body of work, the artist said: “This body of work is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it appeals to the Western viewer to see the African in classic Western European fashion and feel a connection and recognition of sameness.
“The choice of garb serves as a mediating motif and a hand of camaraderie between the races. It also tries to simulate the instant connection we feel when we realize someone shares our name, interest, values, and culture.”
Habeeb Andu, on his part, will be exhibiting “Theatre of War” (series). Explaining his body of work, he said: “Insecurity is an impediment to learning. School security is vital to effective teaching and learning. Presently, the safety of the school child is of primary concern to stakeholders in the Education sector in Nigeria. This is because school insecurity is becoming a nagging problem sweeping across the nation. Parents are worried about their children and wards’ protection in the face of terrorists’ attacks in Nigeria, especially in the northern part.
“The effect of these attacks has further exacerbated the fragile school system which is antithetical to sustainable and national development.
“According to the hierarchy of Needs postulated by Abraham Maslow, the lower needs of man like food, shelter and security must be met before other higher needs like education or intellectual/cognitive. Inability to satisfy the need for security may cause stress in individuals and hinder them from pursuing higher level needs.
“The spontaneous state of insecurity leaves Nigerian schools with more than a sense of déjà vu of the scandalous kidnapping happening in the country due to lack of security personnel, perimeter fencing in most schools and poor infrastructure.”
Lending her voice, Oreoluwa Alabi, the Visual Assistant/Project Manager of the exhibition, summed it up: “These artists have been carefully selected, and have worked singlehanded all by themselves and have had a transition from what art used to be, let’s say, 10-25 years years ago, to what we have now as contemporary African art.
“Now, we are trying to look into their art, history and the journey so far about the origin and development of art in Nigeria, compared to what we have now.
“What the exhibition title is telling us, and what we are trying to convey to our viewers in ‘Ensemble of Voices’ is that we have diverse voices speaking one thing, which is the contemporary –the now.
“We are basically talking about the revolution of art in Nigeria and its mix with westernisation. We are also emphasising the richness of Nigerian cultural values.”
All roads lead to LIS10 Gallery, Arezzo, Italy, for the epoch making group exhibition.
