A group of potters, ceramicists and sculptors exhibiting their works at Moorehouse Hotel, Ikoyi, came with more than works of clay, writes Senior Copy Editor INNOCENT ANORUO
They hail from different parts of Nigeria and beyond. But one thing brought the artists of both gender together: pottery.
Chinenye Emelogu, May Okafor, Nathalie Djakou Kassi, Afam Okwudili, Chris Klay Ekuafeh, Sheriff Ojetunde and Ato Arinze, all established and practising artists, came together this year to birth an idea that was mooted in 2016.
This may be in agreement with John Maxwell who asserts in his book, Talent is Never Enough, that nobody can claim ownership of an idea until it has been put to use. When these potters hit the ground running, the result is Vision in Clay (VIC), another artistic insight into the future.
At the maiden exhibition, holding at Moorehouse Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos, till Thursday, August 17, while the artists flaunt their individual prowess, they still maintained their commonalities.
The exhibition that opened on Saturday, August 5, is in collaboration with Weaves & Co, Moorehouse Hotel among other organisations.
According to Arinze, the exhibition is a platform for the artists to showcase their work and network.
Pottery, he added, is supposed to be a national art in Nigeria, making reference to the Nok civilisation and potters used on the legal tender.
He disclosed that the exhibition will be an annual event, with the expectation that more artists will join, and the movement growing into a cooperative having its own studios.
The foreigner among the exhibitors, Kassi from Cameroon, told TheNiche that in practising her profession, she prefers Nigeria to her home country because Nigeria has more raw materials like ceramics, and that art is more lucrative in Africa’s most populous black nation.
She is vexed by tribalism that pervades Africa. This she depicted in her piece, ‘Why Black Vs Black?’
Ekuafeh from Edo State is at the show with works inspired by religion. From his works, ‘Light of the World’ and ‘Azadumi’ to ‘Psalm 91’, he left little to doubt that he is deep in Christianity. Jesus described himself in the Bible as “the Light of the World” (John 8:12). Azadumi is an allusion to “no weapon fashioned against me shall prosper” found in Isaiah 54:17. He told TheNiche that the piece is also about royalty. Dwelling in the secret place of the Most High is expressed in the piece titled Psalm 91.
With ‘Painted Vessels with Ridges’ Arinze depicts state of the nation. The inspiration, he said, is Eedris Abdulkareem’s song, ‘Nigeria jaga jaga’.
He raises so many questions with his works. Without answering any, he says the job of an artist is to raise questions and give people the opportunity to proffer solutions to them.
With ‘Senators’, Okwudili delved into government and the disposition of our legislators at the federal level.
Other beautiful pieces on display at the exhibition include Kassi’s ‘Wastage and Recycle’, Okafor’s ‘Father Nature’ and ‘Affinity’,
