‘Art of Friendship’ a cross-cultural melting pot

It was a week of art and interaction amongst artists and their works from across Nigeria, Europe and Asia at the just concluded ‘Art of Friendship III.’ Arts & Ideas witnessed the annual event which is now reckoned with as a melting pot for cross-cultural art interaction. Works of sixteen Nigerian artists including Bruce Onabrakpeya, […]

It was a week of art and interaction amongst artists and their works from across Nigeria, Europe and Asia at the just concluded ‘Art of Friendship III.’ Arts & Ideas witnessed the annual event which is now reckoned with as a melting pot for cross-cultural art interaction.
Works of sixteen Nigerian artists including Bruce Onabrakpeya, Abraham Uyovbisere, Jimoh Buraimoh, Ray Soko, Rukeme Noserime, Nduwhite Ahanonu and Ben Osaghae, were among those exhibited alongside works of artists from China, Czech Republic, Germany and South Korea in the third edition of the annual ‘Art of Friendship.’ The event which ended on Tuesday was organized by the National Gallery of Art (NGA) for one week at the FCT Pavilion.
The works were expressed in different media from paintings, sculptures, porcelain wares, lithograph and mixed media. This was in a bid to for the forum to serve viewers with a platter of rich art the various countries.
The Nigerian works were selected pieces from the collection of the NGA featuring creating of some of the country’s most prolific and renowned visual artists representing six generations of the country’s metamorphosis in the genre.
Former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, MON, described the event as ‘a podium where the interaction between friendly nations is taken beyond the level of mere rhetoric to practical demonstration of ties that bind and the true essence of brotherhood.’
Analyzing critics who share the view that art isn’t appreciated in Nigeria, Kalu said: “The same art continues to thrive in the overall life of the people. Friendship when properly managed and mutually enjoyed, becomes an unbreakable bond that engenders healthy human development.
Kalu who said he wasn’t at the event merely to honour the invitation extended him by the NGA, but as an art and culture lover enjoying the ambience of refreshing creative flavor, added that: “Today we are being transported from Africa to Europe and Asia through the kaleidoscope of art pieces that will no doubt open the treasure trove of many generations of culture, history and tradition and awaken us to beauty of the word we live in.”
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Nkechi Ejele who used the analogy of friendship being like a flower of slow growth needing steady nurturing to germinate and blossom said: “the ‘Art of Friendship’ which was planted four years ago has been rigorously tendered and the result is the consistency of collaboration that has culminated into what we are witnessing today.”
While commending participating countries for the exposé of diverse creative productive, Ejele expressed gratitude to individual artists whose “works have made the exhibition a rich harvest from which we are bound to quench our thirst for good art.”
Following the success of previous editions, NGA boss, Abdullahi Muku expressed hope that the impact of the outing reached dimensions that positively affect the educational and socio-economic needs of today and tomorrow while showcasing Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and her talented artists.
He said: “The ‘Art of Friendship’ exhibition, through the various works on display, is contributing to a deeper knowledge of the global creative industry. The cross fertilization of ideas encapsulated in these works of art will further deepen cross cultural creative expression and equip emerging artists with anew visual language.
Curator of the exhibition, Ngozi John-Uyah explained that the strength of the art fiesta is anchored on the unity of the thematic content of the exhibits in the face of their stylistic, cultural and symbolic diversity.
Uyah said: “A vast majority of the works lend themselves to easy interpretation and appreciation by all strata of viewers while not losing their seductive beauty. 
Speaking on the fete, Ambassador of China, Gu Xiaojie, participating for the first time displaying works of ceramics said these were one of Chian’s greatest inventions and are regarded as a symbol of Chinese traditional culture.
He said: “The works exhibited here also feature contemporary Chinese ceramics techniques.”
Themed ‘Auspicious Beginning,’ the series exhibited were works of Sun Zhigang, Chen Jiansheng, Lu Yigang,  Liu Yunhui and Zhang Xiaolan, known as coloured glaze ceramics.
Czech Republic exhibited works of Oldřich Jelen whom the country’s envoy, Pavel Mikeš described as undoubtedly ‘one of the most outstanding personalities of the Czech art scene.’
Ambassador Mikeš who spoke to Arts & Ideas said the decision to the artist’s works was to showcase a side of Czech’s art that is hardly in use today.
He said Jelen who is a renowned painter and illustrator has in recent times made lithography his main medium of expression following in the steps of Petr Korbelář ‘the master painter’ with whose help Jelen creates lithographic prints of surrealistic magic and exceptional subtlety.’
Indeed Jelen’s works proved to be some of the favourites of the week-long event which ended on Tuesday, especially his woman in a ‘Bottle.’
Works of George Baselitz were exhibited by the German Embassy with Ambassador Michael Zenner stating that along with political and economic relations, cultural relations for the third pillar of German foreign policy.
Happy that works of the artist were featured for the first time in the series, he said, eleven woodcut of Baselitz, one of Germany’s most celebrated contemporary artists were presented at the exhibition.
‘Minhwa’ or Korean folk paintings was the focus of this year’s works exhibited by South Korea.
According to Ambassador Noh Kyu-duk: “It is through the magic of art that people with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds can get together and feel the same emotions via artistic media.”
Showing fourteen works depicting different scenarios of folk life, the envoy explained that ‘Minhwa’ have been a tool of expression for ordinary Koreans since the 17th century and consists of paintings of mythical animals and plants symbolizing the commoners’ innermost thoughts and dreams.