When Art 21 opened to the public on April 13 in 2013, it was with the larger-than-life works of the artist and teacher, Olu Amoda. That exhibition titled ‘Cequel II: a shifting of a few poles’, ran from April 15 to May 16 that year.
It was a wonder to behold and the artist had said then that he had always dreamt of such a space and, for the first time, was assured that he could hold an exhibition of his unique works and never fear that the works would be damaged.
One expected that he would return quickly to the place, but it took him all of four years to stage another showing at the space located inside Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos. Titled, ‘Index Season II’, a closer look at the works and the detail of his craft was enough explanation for why it took so long. Considering also that he has had other showings outside the country.
Opened to the public on March 28, the exhibition, which presented the artist’s newest body of work created over the past two years, was on till June 25.
Amoda said in an interview at the opening reception that he had just concluded an exhibition in Atlanta, U.S.A., with the same theme.
“The [one in] Atlanta is over, but it is the same theme. It is still ongoing, so I need to further explore it, and that is why ‘Season II’ happened,” he said.
But if you thought that was a continuation of his first exhibition at the space, you would be far from the mark.
At that time, he said, it was a discussion and the question then was a nation at 50; if a fool at 40 is a fool forever, what is a nation at 50?
“So, the question mark is there, and so it is still an ongoing conversation. In that instance, I was using the rams; there was literature I read where two rams were coming towards each other on a narrow bridge. At the beginning, they were cooperative, one stood for the other one to climb and then they met in the same place, hierarchy came into play and rams are not good swimmers, so they fell from the bridge and both drowned,” he said.
He pointed out that it was typical of what you see in Lagos when two people are fighting: the presence of onlookers.
“Only last week or so, a man drove his car to Third Mainland Bridge and plunged there. There were more people who were looking than rescuing,” he added.
As if to agree with him that there has been a difference in the works on display, some of those present at the first exhibition had only praise for the artist on his new body of work.
Engineer and collector, Yemisi Shyllon, said he could see a lot of versatility and innovation in what Amoda had on display.
“I mean, when he exhibited the last time, it was mostly flat works; but now you can see an admixture of innovative works, and I am thrilled by what I see. You know in the past he used roofing nails, wires and so on. But you see the extent of creating each piece of these leafy works, they are fantastic,” he said.
He explained that some of the artist’s old styles are still there, particularly the humongous work of the female that impresses him.
Dr. Kunle Adeyemi, the Dean, School of Art, Design and Printing, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), sang largely the same tune.
“I see his art moving out of commercialism to philosophy, and I see that the theme or his style is well exhausted; he goes into it now and he exhausts it. And you can now read the A to Z of what he wants to say or what he is trying to do. So, you can actually see these works again and again to enjoy it over and over without being exhausted,” he said.
It was the same sentiment for Pascal Ott, former secretary general of the French Cultural Centre, Nigeria, who said the artist has been consistent on the crafting of circular installations.
“There was one with spoons called Tax Collector [the last time]. Olu is hard working, he has done a lot of things. You know he won the Biennale of Dakar last year. It was a beautiful story. He also told that same story at the German Consulate because he had an exhibition there last year or maybe two years ago,” Ott, who added that he is always impressed by the artist, said.
For the artist, Victor Ehikhamenor, “Both the artist and the gallery now understand the space better, so it is really more interesting now. Very elegantly done and superb.”
Indeed, anyone who has followed Amoda’s works or was even seeing him for the first time at this exhibition would agree. Splendour does not even begin to adequately capture what is on display forged from diverse materials as metal, wood and aluminium.
The works may not be a metaphor for Nigeria, but the artist said all of them speak to global politics. The season, he said, is a metaphor for the political calendar, the four years.
“It is not by co-incidence that happens. If we look at nature, then we should feel despondent about the political situation. But we must be prepared to take advantage of the circle to do the right thing.
“When leaves are on their own, they don’t offer you anything; but when they come together, they offer a good canopy and shield you from the sun, sometimes even from rain. So, we the electorate have that. But the point is that we never use the opportunity we have to effect the kind of change we want; so change is now becoming a lip service. It is a global thing that I am talking about with the season,” he stated.
As is tradition with Amoda, a majority of the works comprise of found items, except for the leafy installations, which he said “are not used because this is stamped, cut to shape. A lot of [other works] are used. A lot of them. The nails, the funnels, some of the pipes are used, that hovercraft is a canoe, it’s been used and so it has history and the board, they are all used.”
Amoda is an internationally-celebrated Nigerian sculptor, muralist, furniture designer and multi-media artist whose iconic work using re-purposed materials and metal expresses the very best of modern African sensibility.
Born in Warri in the Niger Delta in 1959 to a goldsmith father, he graduated in sculpture from Auchi Polytechnic in 1983, and was awarded a Masters of Fine Arts from Georgia Southern University in the United States in 2009.
He is founder and chief executive of Riverside Art and Design Studios in Yaba, Lagos, and has taught sculpture and drawing at YABATECH in Lagos since 1987. Amoda has received numerous awards, including the Delta State Honour For The Most Innovative Sculptor of The Year.