Josy Ajiboye: Celebrating a cultural icon

The National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) has celebrated cultural icon and artist, Josy Ajiboye, who has been involved in cartoon, drawing and painting for four decades. Speaking at an art exhibition to celebrate Ajiboye’s works, at the Cultural Centre, Iganmu, Lagos, the Director General of NCAC, Mrs Dayo Keshi enjoined participants to leverage […]

The National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) has celebrated cultural icon and artist, Josy Ajiboye, who has been involved in cartoon, drawing and painting for four decades.
Speaking at an art exhibition to celebrate Ajiboye’s works, at the Cultural Centre, Iganmu, Lagos, the Director General of NCAC, Mrs Dayo Keshi enjoined participants to leverage on the opportunity of the exhibitions to patronise the works of Ajiboye.
Keshi said, the ocassion was an opportunity to showcase some of Ajiboye’s finest pieces, which chronicles the outstanding achievements and artistic initiatives of a man who has, for years, used the platform of arts as a vehicle to channel his contributions to the development of Nigeria’s cultural landscape.
The NCAC boss, who was represented by the Head of Lagos Zone of the agency, Mr Dotun Omoniyi said the agency was planning to organise a programme where more experienced artists like Ajiboye would talk to youths.
“Ajiboye is a very consistent artist who has impacted on the people and done something great with his works. We are lucky to have him around. That’s why we are celebrating him by exhibiting his works today,” he said.
“At the level of aesthetics, the exhibition chronicles the outstanding achievements and artistic initiatives of Ajiboye who has for years used the platform of art as a vehicle to channel his contribution and give back to society. The exhibition, therefore, is a celebration of the role of creative art in national development.
“We at the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) are proud and delighted to be part of this worthy cause.”
Ajiboye, who became a household name with the ‘Daily Times’ newspaper as a popular signature on the weekly cartoon corner of ‘Sunday Times’ known as ‘Josy Ajiboye on Sunday,’ said that art goes beyond abstraction. “If all it takes to be an artist is to just put something onto the canvas, content and context, which only the artist understands, then people won’t have any course to study art at higher education level. Anybody can become an artist.”
He added that he paints for people so that they can see, perceive and understand.
“There is no need arguing with viewers about what a work looks like, they should look at it and relate to it without explanation. For instance, I don’t need to write a long story to tell my viewer what my works are about.
“Before I do a job, I conceptualise it with my inner eye, then I pick the models. My works are all about culture and when people see what they can relate to then their perception will be fine. Art is a universal language and that is what I have in mind when working,” he said.