Nigeria Content Online

Obi Nwaegbe’s art
exhibition, ‘Tainted Visions: Nomad Series’, opened at the Omenka
Gallery on April 16. On display were about 25 paintings and drawings,
which the young artist was inspired to produce during his service year
in Northern Nigeria.

In the brochure,
the University of Nigeria-trained fine artist said that the “exhibition
as illustrated by the works on display, is a realistic approach to
documenting the lives of ordinary people living in a society basically
at subsistence level.”

Breaking news of the poisonous Chinese Milk scandal influenced the title ‘Tainted Visions.’

Remaining productive

Speaking at the
opening event, the artist said the Fulani nomads, who are the focus of
his exhibition, have a bold way of expressing themselves. “For me as an
artist, I think it was something that is worth putting down,” he said.

Capturing their
daily existence through sketches and photography “was not a very easy
process,” Nwaegbe admitted. After his service year in Nassarawa State,
the artist spent time in Kebbi State observing the Fulani nomads in
their natural habitat, something he described as “a really good
experience.”

The Fulani people, their cultures and their environment form the nucleus of his Nomad Series.

Some of the images
show the herdsmen at work, or at play. Others show women attending to
their daily chores or to their physical appearance. It also shows the
migrant group across generations. Nwaegbe’s featured works were in
Conte, Acrylic, and Charcoal media.

Commenting on how
he managed to be productive in unfamiliar surroundings, Nwaegbe said,
“If you are waiting for the muse, you are not going to paint in a long
time.” The resulting works are a mix of reality and his imagination.

Investing in art

Recounting his
recent experience at the Africa Now Art Auction in New York, Frank
Okonta, who chaired Nwaegbe’s opening, said he was impressed to see
artworks by many Nigerian artists featured prominently at the auction.

“Don’t give up,”
the president of the Art Galleries Association of Nigeria (AGAN) said,
encouraging the artists to remain dedicated to their profession.

As an art
collector, Okonta advised the audience to invest in art. “There’s
plenty of money to be made from art. It’s good for you to start
collecting now,” because the value goes up, he said.

Bisi Silva, director of the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA), could not help adding, “And you make a lot of tax-free money.”

Art patron Rasheed Gbadamosi and gallery owner Biodun Omolayo were also at the opening.

Nwaegbe’s message
for all who viewed the week-long exhibition was simple: “If you don’t
travel around, you don’t understand how different we are. There’s a
need for us to interact and understand each other.”

‘Tainted Visions’ (Nomad Series) was at the Omenka Gallery on Ikoyi Crescent till April 23.