‘My value for my art determines the price’

Chimaobi Emmanuel Okenwa popularly known as Sly, describes himself as a visual artist with no limit to his creativity. He recently organised an exhibition in Abuja which featured young and upcoming visual artists Daily Trust on Sunday cornered him for an interview at the event.  How did you get into visual art? Art is an […]

Chimaobi Emmanuel Okenwa popularly known as Sly, describes himself as a visual artist with no limit to his creativity. He recently organised an exhibition in Abuja which featured young and upcoming visual artists Daily Trust on Sunday cornered him for an interview at the event. 

How did you get into visual art?

Art is an in born talent for me. I didn’t stumble into it and never learnt it from any institution. I’ve been doing it since childhood and it has remained a huge part of me. My personal slogan is “I create as I speak!” I believe that art is the beauty of life and all human are artworks of God.                                               

 

What are your favourite tools to work with?

I enjoy working with brushes, pastels, pencils, wool and markers. They make my works come alive.         

What medium do you find most interesting to express yourself in?

I find abstract, cubism, futurism and tribal art, as the most interesting medium to express myself in.   

‘Yellow Sisi’ is actually multi-coloured. What is the idea behind the work?

The central idea behind ‘Yellow Sisi’ is women and girl child empowerment. The unchecked worrisome spate of women trafficked as sexual workers and slaves are a great cause of concern for me. Gender inequality and victimization of the girl child is a prevalent evil in our society. ‘Yellow Sisi’ calls for the need for government to prioritize female empowerment and education. It mirrors the pain and trauma often experienced by victims of social abuse especially women. There is hope for the girl child, they are our mothers, wives and sisters – the makers of the nation.             

You use a lot of geometry and colours in your works. What is the motivation for this?

As an old student of technical drawing, it is essential that my works come with a certain uniqueness that ensures accuracy, precision and pointillism. What better way than with the use of Geometry? It also allows for a neatly done piece of work.       

Who or what has been your most inspiration?

I find my daily activities, my interactions with people, the things I visualize, my innermost feelings to be my most inspiration. These are on the what basis, and on the who basis. I find a few of the past art heroes, most inspirations. They include Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Michelle Angelo and Leonardo da Vinci.                

What theme(s) do your works mostly address? 

My work addresses themes like enlightenment as the key for social engineering and eulogizing unsung heroes. They are also a salient call for peace amid turbulent daily occurrences. 

 

 Please share with us how you came up with Coke-spice?

The spice of coke is very unique and nobody can figure it out. That is art! In science coke is a solid substance derived from distillation of crude, and spices are added to food to make it taste good. Solidity is the basis of my brand, we are building something that will stand the test of time, an enduring legacy that will add value to the lives of people. Coke was also gotten from initials of my name.

How did you identify which artists to bring on board?

Coke-spice as a brand, always looks out for uniqueness and versatility in its artist’s, there is no specific method of selection. It is a platform for “all,” anyone who aims to express himself through the various forms of art.                          

One of the complaints at your exhibition in Abuja is that the works are too pricey for young and unknown artists. How do you respond to this?

I would like to say that this exhibition wasn’t all about selling my works. It was for me mainly about people coming to see them and also seeing what I do as an artist.  So the pricing of each of my works was as a result of how much I value them, regardless whether I am known or not. In total honesty, each of my artworks mean a lot to me, so I placed the prices for what I felt they were worth. Nevertheless, I am open to negotiations. 

 

What is your dream project?

I would say is to participate in one of the world’s renowned art fairs in Europe amongst other international artists from all around the world. 

Professionally, what is your goal?

 

It is to take African art to the world and also get us, Africans, more familiar and in tuned with art from the rest of the world.