‘Demeanor II’ exhibition honours womanhood

No less than 30 works of the artists, Amarachi Odimba and Doofan Kwaghhool are on display at the Bouygues Club House, Abuja, where the exhibition ‘Demeanor II’ is ongoing. The artists expressed their thoughts in bold colours and forms which were as catchy, thought provoking as their titles which included the likes of ‘Early Callers,’ […]

No less than 30 works of the artists, Amarachi Odimba and Doofan Kwaghhool are on display at the Bouygues Club House, Abuja, where the exhibition ‘Demeanor II’ is ongoing.

The artists expressed their thoughts in bold colours and forms which were as catchy, thought provoking as their titles which included the likes of ‘Early Callers,’ ‘Dance with me’ and ‘Vigour.’

The works, executed in acrylic, oil on canvass and mixed media among others are in different sizes dating back two years and beyond. They paid homage to womanhood, tenacity of everyday Nigerians, in bold, expressive colours and forms.

Odimba reflected the strength of women in the broadness of their shoulders depicting how much support they can be to their immediate family and the larger society. She also displayed some nude pieces which she described as the purest form, as cloths have a way of covering a lot about a person.

For the artist, the human figure is a visual metaphor to talk about issues in society from gender, racism, tribalism to education. Hence, some of the faceless works she left viewers to best interpret and decide what to make of them.

Explaining her works, she said, “my works are basically very expressive and I try to play around with colours, and issues affecting us. I like to also project the gender and the issues that women pass through. I try to project women as strong and bold using my colors to invoke emotions.”

Kwaghhool brought alive the late Afro beat legend, FeIa in her work, ‘Let Alone’ which was part of her ‘Two Wills’ series. She infused lyrics of his ‘Lady Na Master’ hit song into the white silhouette piece of a woman contrasted in different shades of red. It is a style she repeats in a number of works displayed.

For her it is important for the audience to interpret the words when they see them. “Works are not complete without the audience,” she said.

On the need to have a second edition of the exhibition, she said, “We felt the need to have it because we have practiced together over the years and have become good friends.”

Speaking on her exhibited works, Kwaghhool said, I actually work on theme ‘Two wills’ which I am showing here. I touch on subject that dal with society but narrow down to nuclear family situations. The society is the product of the family and no matter how large a family is, it starts from two – a man and a woman. They both need two wills to come together. The man cannot decide on getting marriage if the woman is not interested.

The duo who take pleasure in working together, “decided that since we had a joint exhibition in the past it would be a nice thing for us to continue. So that at some point, after we have had numerous exhibitions, workshops, we would have a reason to come back together, working and expressing ourselves in a way that enables enjoy our practice.”

The duo had in 2017 exhibited ‘Demeanor I’ following a residency they had both participated in.

In comparison to ‘Demeanor I,’ and what is different or constant about their styles and works, Kwaghhool said, there has been consistency in her style and has allowed her art to find her as she works.

The residency was an eyeopener for Odimba who says travelling to Lagos in that time gave her a chance to see things done differently from what she was used to in Abuja. “My style developed better afterwards. After my exhibition then, I would say I am more expressive with my colours and my style has developed better.”

The exhibition runs until February 28.