Ananaba, Nsofor’s creative response to global issues

Tony Nsofor and Ibe Ananaba, two contemporary artists with distinctive works are now on exhibition floor in Temple Muse, Lagos.  With a total of 49 paintings and mixed media works, the two artists said they have got a lot to offer art enthusiasts as well as fun seekers. On exhibition are works that embody the […]

Tony Nsofor and Ibe Ananaba, two contemporary artists with distinctive works are now on exhibition floor in Temple Muse, Lagos.  With a total of 49 paintings and mixed media works, the two artists said they have got a lot to offer art enthusiasts as well as fun seekers.
On exhibition are works that embody the heart and pulse of Nigerian creativity, responding to global issues such as migration and the effect of social media on inter-personal communication.
Ananaba, who graduated with distinction from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu in 1999, and is the Art Director for leading advertising company, Insight Communications., is an experienced cartoonist, fashion illustrator, graphic designer and painter.
He presents a diverse body of 28 recent works using watercolor, acrylic, oil and charcoal on paper and canvas to showcase his impressive artistic range; his showcase includes Ananaba’s popular portrait and fashion paintings, as well as dynamic new works from his ‘Yeah-Yeah’ series which captures and immortalises the spirit of Nigeria’s musical legend, Fela Anikolapu Kuti.
The nine watercolor and two oil on canvas paintings depict Nigeria’s iconic King of Afrobeat in his legendary performance poses, presented by Ananaba’s deft, minimalist strokes of the palette knife on the one hand, as well as through his masterly watercolour technique, which captures both the mood and energy of the pulsating music complete with steam, sweat, and smoke rising through the colours.
The Fela series is presented in a pop-up space at Temple Muse in which the ‘Yeah Yeah’ works are displayed alongside Fela’s famous quotations which Ananaba has written across stark white walls, creating an iconic space of remembrance for Nigeria’s legendary musical prophet with famous refrains such as “Demo-Crazy!” and “…Poor Man De Cry, Rich Man de Mess…”
While giving an insight into his voyage into art, Ananaba said: “The start of my artistic journey dates back to my childhood. I never chose art, rather art made its way, chose me and we fell in love immediately. The moment I realised possibilities of a pen or pencil on sheet of paper by watching my elder brother, Ugo and the stunts he used to pull in those days, it became obvious that it is my calling.”
Born in Belgium but grown in Nigeria, Ananaba said flipping through textbook and magazines with strong illustrations made him aspire to be an artist. He said he also felt there was a whole lot more fun and adventure to experience if he plunges in.
About how he works, he explains: “I really don’t have an ideal or orthodox way of working. I try to work as the ideas hit.”
Ananaba’s creative world is expertly counterbalanced by his contemporary, Tony Nsofor, who graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1997, after being mentored by Nigeria’s famous art professors, El Anatsui and Obiora Udechukwu. Nsofor is bold, at times prolific, frenzied and complex; at times calm, measured, elongated abstract expressionist style has been honed over the years working as a writer, photographer, poet and painter.
Nsofor’s cerebral ethos is punctuated by his loose and measured, vibrant strokes which communicate multi-dimensional human pressures. His dense abstract works comment on a myriad of global issues, including the effects of bad leadership and the anguish of the world’s displaced people.
In ‘Displaced With Nowhere Like Home,’ he paints elongated, grey and black mask-like faces in which the despair and despondency of the internally displaced masses affected by the insurgency in northern Nigeria is palpable through long, downward sweeping strokes. In ‘Red Boats’ he explains “empty red boats floating on a mysterious, bloodied sea echoing the recent migration crisis that has placed a burden on the conscience of the world.”
These paintings are juxtaposed with complex, mixed media collages in which Nsofor combines words and fonts cut out of magazines, creating complex compositions using typography as a leitmotif for how the internet and social media has encrypted and stultified our communication, reducing interactions to emoticons and abbreviations like ‘LOL!,’  losing the wealth and breadth of language, literature and nuanced communication.
On how he ventured into art, Nsofor said: “I did not know I was an artist. I realised art was a beautiful way to see life, to address life as a child. I saw this in the works of my uncle who had studied art in the US. I tried to reproduce the photographs of my loved ones, with pleasant results. The feedback from family and teachers was favourable. Just before entering secondary school, I was ill for over a year.
“I was sick at age 12 at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu. Then, the student doctors would visit. I became friends with one of them, a Dr. John Ojukwu. He would bring me all these art activity books that allowed you to colour sections of a drawing, and to recreate images to scale. I thoroughly enjoyed that. From then on, I saw how art could take one away from the darkness around. So I held on to it.”
The exhibition is supported by Veuve Cliquot and runs at Temple Muse until November 25.