When 4 artists turn waste to art in Abuja

The Nwanyi Ike Art Exhibition, which took place from February 20 to 27 in Abuja, focused on artworks created by four artists, from waste materials.   The art exhibition themed ‘Nwanyi Ike,’ which literally means ‘The strong woman,’ was held at Bouygues Club House in Abuja and focused on displaying recycled materials. Mrs. Danielle Fitcher, […]

The Nwanyi Ike Art Exhibition, which took place from February 20 to 27 in Abuja, focused on artworks created by four artists, from waste materials.

 

The art exhibition themed ‘Nwanyi Ike,’ which literally means ‘The strong woman,’ was held at Bouygues Club House in Abuja and focused on displaying recycled materials.

Mrs. Danielle Fitcher, the organizer of the Nwanyi Ike art exhibition said, love and passion for art led her to provide a platform where artists can display their work. “I have observed that there are inadequate avenues available for artists to showcase their works, so I decided to create the stage to promote them.

“I didn’t study art but I am instinctively attracted to it. I started organizing exhibitions for Indonesian artists while I was in Jakarta, my home. When I came back to Abuja four years ago, I noticed there were not many spaces for artists available and not many events organized for them to show their works.

“I decided to create events to promote artists known or unknown to offer them visibility. In the four years I have been in Nigeria, I noticed many spaces for art lovers are now open and I’m happy about that. My selection is about creativity and originality. We will try our best to go on with this free space to promote and encourage Nigerian artists and art as long as they wish. My husband has been a great support to me by allowing me use the clubhouse for this. It’s been two years since I started using the clubhouse and it has been amazing all the way.”

The exhibition, which started on February 20 and ended on February 27 in Abuja, had a lot of beautiful artworks on display from four artists who all used waste materials to create art. One of them, Uzoma Samuel, specializes in using fabrics to while Uche Uguru uses newspapers and magazines. Ikegwuonu Chidinma uses straws and Taiwo Owoyemi opts for aluminum and metals.

Samuel, who is also a painter and photographer, said his mother’s profession inspired him to go into fabric collage. “My mother was a seamstress and whenever she finished sewing, I would pick up discarded fabrics and play with them. So, I have been recycling for a really long time. It wasn’t hard for me to choose my path in the university where I studied Fine Art professionally. I am not restricted to fabrics, although that is what I do majorly. I also work with metals.

“I met really great artists during my internship with George Edozie and they helped reinforce my decision to become an artist. Edozie is a grandmaster in collage art and that further forged my path in that area.”

When asked how his artworks relate to the exhibition’s theme, Samuel said he believes that the world is a woman. “I say so because what makes the world exist till date is the woman who makes reproduction possible. Everything started flourishing when women came into play. My work hinges on globalization, cultural value and the aesthetics of beauty. Clothes have great value but it is sad that we do not attach a lot of importance to them. There is a saying that the dog is man’s best friend but that is not true. Clothes are a man’s best friend. You pretty much wear clothes all the time, even your underwear. The cloth goes to bed with us, wakes up with us, goes to work with us and basically keeps you company when no one is there for you. So, clothes should not go to waste,” he said.

On the other hand, circumstances forced Ikegwuonu to improvise with straws. “I was posted to Abuja in 2016 but I had no money, and I wanted to do artworks. Painting colors are really expensive so I started thinking of ways to improvise. There was a restaurant close to my place of primary assignment back then. Anytime I went there, I saw used straws on the floors and I thought of using them. ‘Against All Odds’ is the first work I made using straws and I loved the kind of response I got. It was overwhelming and encouraging, so I continued from there. I am a fast worker and I don’t rest until I finish. It took me about a week to finish it.

“It’s called ‘Against All Odds’ because the boy depicted in the artwork hawks and reads at the same time. He is in a noisy environment where people are buying and selling, yet he doesn’t let that deter him from achieving greatness. He is fighting against all odds. That is my story. No one, except my sister, supported me and kept encouraging me to fight for my dreams. I wanted to prove to my family that I can become successful without a professional course. It is not easy doing this because it has not really yielded a lot of benefits financially. I have had to fund my art through other sources of income. Still, I have high hopes that it will get better,” she said.

One of Ikegwuonu artworks titled ‘Nnwanyi Ike,’ which is also the theme of the art exhibition, has an inscription on it that says, “A strong woman is someone who raises others up instead of tearing them down. Don’t stop shining just because someone else is intimidated by your light.”

Ikegwuonu’s work is aimed at encouraging women to wake up from their slumber and realise they are strong and limitless. She said, “Times are changing and we are in the century where women can do anything they set their minds to. We don’t need to sit in the kitchen and cook all day. We can be whatever we want to be. We can be politicians, footballers, CEOs and anything we want. All we need to do is go out there and achieve greatness. There are no limitations. I would also like to beg the men not to feel intimidated by a woman. Your wife is richer than you are doesn’t mean she will disrespect you. Encourage her to be the best she can be.”

A certified visual artist and cartoonist, Uguru who studied at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria said she has been an artist for about 10 years. She resorted to using newspapers and magazines to create art because her health started to deteriorate as a result of paint fumes. Instead of deterring her, it only made her more determined to find a way to continue.

Uguru’s artwork, ‘silent treatment,’ was inspired by failed relationships. “It’s a Valentine Day piece I did in 2018. I was trying to preach that we need to set aside our differences and make peace. There is so much against marriage these days. You hear about spousal killings, and that starts from not talking about certain issues. When you give the silent treatment, they start to build up, and before you know it, a small problem escalates. So, it is really better to resolve your issue amicably without inviting a third party. It is not okay to give the silent treatment. Talk your issues out,” she said.

Owoyemi, a multi-dimensional up-cycling visual artist who through a technique called repose (a French word where ‘Re’ means ‘reverse’ and ‘pose’ means ‘push’) recycles aluminum and metals he gets from dumpsites into beautiful artworks.

H explained: “First you get the material, slice them into sheets, and then you draw designs. I prefer doing free sketching on them to using molds, chisels and hammer to forge my design. This is why every work I do is unique and original. You can’t get a replica of it. There will always be a difference, no matter how small, even though I try to make a double. That is the advantage of using free sketches.”