Globalising African Stories Through Visual Art

Nigeria’s emerging artists recently came togetther for a mini visual art exhibition under the umbrella body of FERRUM, an international art house founded to promote art and culture.

Coming under the theme ‘An African Story’, the exhibition featured emerging artists such as Steven Osuchukwu, Abigail Nnaji, Balogun Waziri and Lucky Isaiah. Others are Millicent Osumuo, Suraj Adekola, Godwin Adesoye, Stella-Nitta Cornelius, Obiora Ekeanozie and Tyna Adebowale. Curator of the exhibition, Mufu Onifade, described the exhibition as a bold step to internationalizing African stories.

According to him, it was a demonstration of aligning with the vision of FERRUM, a word adopted for innovative platform designed for African art from African perspectives with the aim of growing it beyond its point of origination.

Onifade said, “The freshness of the platform and its vision of berthing its activities with the promotion of young African artists give vent to our decision to peg the age bracket of all participating artists at 35. “In this show, therefore, are 10 vibrant, young Nigerian artists, each contributing two works to the show.

In all, there are 20 works and, due to the fact that they stem from the artists’ personal experiences and influences, the paintings explore and expose a mosaic of African stories and this informs the title of the show”. The exhibition, which held at the Thought Pyramid, reveal the artists’ inner feelings such as pain and joy arising from past struggles, economic activities and social interactions.

It also explores their education orientation and political interests. Some tiles of works showcased included ‘Market Agenda’, ‘Strength’, ‘Sisi’ and ‘Tranquility’. While the ‘Market Agenda’ showcases a market scene with buyers and sellers in tight bargain, ‘Strength’ is represented by a painting of an elephant in a charcoal on canvas medium.

Both ‘Sisi’ and ‘Tranquility’ are paintings of female figures, beautifully adorned in colourful attire and accessories. While ‘Sisi’ appears to be in a sober mood as she gazes into the space, ‘Tranquility’ is aptly titled, as the figure seems to be sleeping in peace and tranquility.

“The presence of stars located at the corner of the room indicates that although it is still day, it is imperative to observe a moment of rest and deep thought and, of course, dream about greater future. Both are the works of Abigail Nnaji. ‘Hustle and Bustle’ by Suraj Adekola captures the rowdy nature of the average Nigerian city.

It is depicted by a chaotic traffic situation. This is compounded by human traffic. His other work, ‘The Call’ is abstract, represented by strokes and colours. Other works include ‘First Born’, ‘Lady’s World’, ‘Entangled’, ‘Redemption’, ‘The Way We Look’ and ‘Identity Series’.