Three visual artists take over Ebedi

For the first time since it was set up in 2010, the Ebedi Writers Residency will be hosting a set of three visual artists, who will live and work in the facilities in Iseyin, Ondo State. The artist, Samuel Ovraiti, Juliet Ezenwa Maja Pearce and Phillip Lexie Nzekwe will have the opportunity of spending six […]

For the first time since it was set up in 2010, the Ebedi Writers Residency will be hosting a set of three visual artists, who will live and work in the facilities in Iseyin, Ondo State.
The artist, Samuel Ovraiti, Juliet Ezenwa Maja Pearce and Phillip Lexie Nzekwe will have the opportunity of spending six weeks in a secluded environment provided for writers and artist by former president of the Association of Nigerian Authors Dr. Wale Okediran.
Commenting on the decision to feature three artists, Dr. Okediran said, “We wanted a special collaboration with the artists who will help us train some selected students in secondary schools.”
 Full time studio artist, Ovraiti is generally acclaimed as the flag-bearer of the Auchi art colour masters. He is Nigeria’s foremost water colourist. He was born in 1961 in Zaria and studied painting at the famous Auchi Polytechnic and the University of Benin, where he obtained a HND and an MFA in Painting, respectively. He taught painting and drawing at Auchi Polytechnic for eight years, during which he mentored young artists, many of who have also become famous. He is known for popularising the use of chalk pastels and water colour paintings in Nigeria.
The other artist in residence is
Benin born Juliet Ezenwa Maja Pearce who was first introduced to art forms by her grandmother, a reputable traditional body decorator using uli, the art and style adopted and made popular by the Nsukka School.
Pearce was initially known for her sober watercolour paintings of landscapes and women. She participated in ‘Tom Lynch’s Water Colour Rescue Workshop,’ and her landscape painting, ‘Straying Goats,’ is published in his book, ‘Great Watercolour Rescues.’ Her works have also featured in Jess Castellote’s Contemporary Nigerian Art in Nigerian Private Collections.
 Since 2007, she has been a regular participant at the annual harmattan workshop run by the Dr Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation and subsequently became a facilitator at the print-making section in 2012. She has since delved into experimental print-making to the extent that many of her more recent works apply print-making methods, most notably in the Migrations solo exhibition.
Nzekwe was born on 27th February 1981 in Jos. He obtained a BA and MFA degrees in sculpture from the Delta State University and University of Benin respectively. He is currently a doctoral candidate of sculpture at the Delta State University and a full time studio artist based in Asaba, Nigeria. Just like Pearce and Ovraiti, Nzekwe’s works have featured in several exhibitions at home and abroad.
Already the artists have hit the ground running and aside working on their paintings, the three artists have been engaging students in Iseyin who visit the residents for mentoring.
Aside from being the first time the residency will be hosting an all-artist batch, this is the first time in many years that the residence will host both male and female creatives at the same time.