- Title: NIGERIA: Nigerian artists exhibits paintings of Fulani nomads
- Date: 27th April 2010
- Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) OPENING OF NOMAD ART EXHIBITION BY FRANK OKONTA, PRESIDENT OF ART GALLERY ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA OBI NWAEGBE, ARTIST EXPLAINING HIS WORK TO GUESTS VARIOUS OF NOMAD ART ON DISPLAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) OBI NWAEGBE, NIGERIAN ARTIST, SAYING "What I have tried to do is picture nature in its most beautiful aspect - fantastic and also difficult because these are people who are living in difficulties but I have been able to master these difficulties and I also want to commend their doggedness. They are able to resist difficult life style." VARIOUS OF OBI NWAEGBE TALKING TO GUESTS ABOUT HIS PAINTINGS VARIOUS OF NOMAD PAINTINGS (SOUNDBITE) (English) OBI NWAEGBE, NIGERIAN ARTIST SAYING "Art appreciation comes with a lot of things, well being. It is easier for people to appreciate art and come for an exhibition when they are living a good life. So, as artists, it is our sense of responsibility to make people get away from the difficulties of every day life and hopefully things will get better." VARIOUS OF ART WORK ON DISPLAY ART FANS AT THE EXHIBITION (SOUNDBITE) (English) BISI SILVIA, DIRECTOR CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART IN NIGERIA, SAYING "It is good that he has focused on one theme and he is exploring that theme in different ways. So, also it brings to (the) Lagos audience aspects of women's life up north that we tend not to know about or see." VARIOUS CHARCOAL PAINTINGS BY OBI NWAEGBE (SOUNDBITE) (English) FRANK OKONTA, PRESIDENT OF ART GALLERIES ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA, SAYING "There is a big future for art, but our problem has been we haven't been exposed. Now many people all over the world, their eyes are opening up now." ARTIST TALKING TO GUEST GUESTS AT THE EXHIBITION
- Embargoed: 12th May 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Reuters ID: LVA9D53271Z9ZF8L6FZERNBDFRDZ
- Story Text: Nigeria's top artists, gallery owners and art collectors gathered in Lagos recently to view a collection of paintings by artist Obi Nwaegbe, whose work reflects his interactions with the Fulani nomads of northern Nigeria.
The exhibition, titled "Tainted Visions", is a bid to highlight some of the difficulties the nomads face in their lives. It is part of a six years series of exhibitions by the artist on the culture, lifestyle and politics of the different ethnic groups of Nigeria.
Nwaegbe, a University of Nigeria graduate who comes from the oil rich Niger Delta, said he was motivated to compile the paintings of the Fulani people while serving in the National Youth Service in the country's north, where he encountered their every day attitude of survival.
"What I have tried to do is picture nature in its most beautiful aspect - fantastic and also difficult because these are people who are living in difficulties but I have been able to master these difficulties and I also want to commend their doggedness," he said.
The Fulanis are cattle herders and roam from one area to another in search of grazing grass and water for their animals.
Nwaegbe described his work as ambitious and a realistic approach to document the lives of ordinary people living in society at subsistent level.
He said he drew inspiration from Gustav Klimit and Pablo Picasso as well as from some of Nigeria's best artists.
Nigeria's art scene is one of the largest and most vibrant in sub-Saharan Africa but its growth has been hindered by lack of more appreciation of art work by the masses due lack of capital.
"Art appreciation comes with a lot of things, well being. It is easier for people to appreciate art and come for an exhibition when they are living a good life. So, as artists, it is our sense of responsibility to make people get away from the difficulties of every day life," said Nwaegbe.
Bisi Silvia, a director of Nigeria's Centre of Contemporary Art, described the show as enlightening.
"It is good that he has focused on one theme and he is exploring that theme in different ways. So, also it brings to (the) Lagos audience aspects of women's life up north that we tend not to know about or see," she said.
Frank Okonta, president of the Art Galleries Association of Nigeria, said Nigerian artists continue to demonstrate a sense of commitment to their creative calling despite a backdrop of difficulties associated with art in the country.
A seasoned art collector himself, Okonta enjoyed Nwaegbe's approach to addressing social and political issues but lamented the lack of exposure for Nigerian art and artists.
"There is a big future for art, but our problem has been we haven't been exposed," he said.
Nearly all of Nwaegbe's paintings on display at the exhibition were purchased, with the lowest-priced item sold for $2,000 U.S. dollars. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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