Contemporary Nigerian arts on showcase at Casalinda

There was music in the air and perhaps paintings too. The colours were that vivid. Arts and arts lovers mingled, glasses in hand clinking away to the power of creativity. The atmosphere was relaxed – what else could it be – it’s at Casalinda after all. For some time now, Casilinda Gallery Lounge in Maitama […]

There was music in the air and perhaps paintings too. The colours were that vivid. Arts and arts lovers mingled, glasses in hand clinking away to the power of creativity. The atmosphere was relaxed – what else could it be – it’s at Casalinda after all.

For some time now, Casilinda Gallery Lounge in Maitama has been building a quiet reputation as the place where arts marry hospitality and Saturday November 26 was no different. It marked the opening of an 11-day long exhibition tagged, Nigeria of my Dreams, featuring over 20 artists and some works from the Republic of Botswana. The landlocked southern African country is a sponsor of the exhibition and had a “small corner” dedicated to its arts – a gesture the country’s High Commissioner, Mr. Clifford Maribe said will be reciprocated, drawing laughter from the audience.

On a more serious note, the High Commissioner said several Nollywood stars have received warm reception in his country were they are highly regarded and said his country  places a great emphasis on arts because “arts and culture is something we can use to alleviate poverty.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mr. Gandi Obiefule, arts connoisseur and owner of Casalinda said he would be cooperating more with the Botswana High Commission.

The works being showcased are divergent, from the stunning to the sublime. There were lots of experimentation with various art forms from mixed media, oil on canvass and the likes. There doesn’t seem to be much emphasis on abstract arts by the artists.

The thematic concerns vary (ranging from spirituality to poverty and culture). There were also bold experiments with the female form. One work that stands out and perhaps embodies the theme of the exhibition more vividly is Ikenna Udeh’s mixed media art titled “If Wishes were Houses” (valued at N1. 5m). His depiction of poverty and longing is so dramatic and haunting.

“Arts don’t lie, arts is a reflection of reality and in Nigeria we have poverty, we have people who are happy, we have people who are suffering and people who are enjoying,” Gandi Obiefule said about the thematic concerns.

The works are not only on display for exhibition sake, they can also be taken home for the right price. Udeh’s work is the most expensive and the cheapest work on display goes for N15, 000. In between, prices range from 30, 60, 80, 100 and 200,000 naira.

“It’s paying for what you love and people actually pay that much,” Ndidi Emefiele, one of the featured artists said. She said Nigerians are now more appreciative of arts and invest more in it than in previous years.

Perhaps this explains Mr. Eze Obizue’s optimism. He is of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) one of the organisers of the event. In his remarks he said Nigeria is getting to the stage where art works can serve as collaterals and urged Nigerians to buy art works for the future.

No doubt the exhibition will please the 2, 000 member-strong SNA as it presents them with the opportunity to showcase their works to a wide range of admirers extending into the diplomatic corps.

For Nigeria’s cultural heritage the works are significant as noted by Alhaji Musa Mudashiru, Head, Education Service Division, National Gallery of Arts. The works represent both the past and the future for him.

“The history of Nigeria cannot be told without mention of its artists and their works probe the future,” he said shortly before declaring the exhibition open.

As Mr. Obizue showed visitors round the exhibition to the accompaniment of a talking drum, the look of awe on faces were compliments enough for the works of the artists.

One of the artists, Yusuf Ibrahim said he too is awed by the range of works exhibited. “This is a perfect exhibition,” he said, “You can see wood burning, carving, ceramics, paintings and all that. I appreciate this a lot because it encompasses all the forms of life.”

Contemporary Nigerian art is finding more avenues of expressing itself and the artists are fully taking advantage of this to capture the slices of life as they see it.

The exhibition comes to a close December 6.