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The winner of the
Lagos Black Heritage Festival/Caterina de Medici painting competition
was unveiled on April 8, during an award dinner at the Civic Centre in
Lagos.

Kelani Abass
emerged winner out of 30 artists, who had been selected as part of a
competition themed ‘Lagos, City of a thousand masks.’ The competitors’
works had been exhibited earlier in the day at the Lekki-based, Nike
Art Gallery.

The Steve Rhodes
Orchestra dished out soul lifting and body soothing jazz tunes and
played at intervals for the duration of the occasion, much to the
delight of the audience.

The Lagos State
governor Babatunde Fashola, his deputy Sarah Sosan, visual artist Ondo
State Commissioner of Culture Tola Wewe, African-American scholar Henry
Louis Gates Jr, and filmmaker Tunde Kelani – were some of those at the
event.

From Italy with love

The annual
painting competition, which began 2002 in Florence, Italy, came to
Nigeria for the first time this year in honour of the festival. A
Nigerian, Olubunmi Ogundare had participated in the first Caterina de
Medici painting competition and was adjudged one of the best 10 artists
in the world.

African
representative of the Caterina de Medici Foundation, Foluke Michaels,
said during her speech that Nigerian artists participate actively on
the international level and are a force to reckon with. Samuel Ebohon,
winner of the 2009 Caterina de Medici international painting award was
also a Nigerian, Michaels noted.

She disclosed that
the 30 shortlisted artists were selected out of 108 who had indicated
interest in this Festival-based edition of the competition.

Chair of the 2009
award jury and also a consultant to this year’s Black Heritage
Festival, Wole Soyinka, had more to say about the judging of last
year’s entries. “The jury was totally different from those that conduct
the Nigerian elections,” he said. This was his way of saying he neither
influenced nor rigged the decision of the jury, which had comprised
people of diverse nationalities.

Behind the mask

Soyinka said some
people had come up to him asking why he chose to title the competition
‘Lagos, City of a thousand masks.’ He however explained that he had no
particular reason for the title but that it was just an expression.

“People say: Eko
gb’ole o gb’ole (Lagos makes space for the thief and the lazy) and I
think it is because Lagos wears so many masks. Like all works of art,
Lagos is a mystery.”

Commodore Sottani,
who started the Caterina de Medici competition in 2002, spoke next,
after a stimulating performance by female drummer Ara and her band.

Speaking in
Italian, with the assistance of an interpreter, Sottani was full of
praise for Soyinka and Michaels, who he became acquainted with at the
formation of the international painting competition.

Sottani said it
was his second time in Lagos. “I am happy to be in Lagos and I would
like that everyone here visit the beautiful city of Florence, Italy,”
he said. Sottani’s pronouncement and praise for his home country had
many in the crowd dreaming while others sniggered loudly, obviously
thinking of the tedious process of getting an Italian visa here in
Nigeria.

Sottani thanked
the organisers for the opportunity to present an award to renowned
painter and textile artist, Nike Davies-Okundaye, in appreciation of
her contribution to Nigerian art at home and abroad.

The interpreter,
however, said Sottani was grateful for the award Davies-Okundaye was
giving to him – leading to some raised eyebrows in the audience.
Soyinka also received an award for excellence.

And the winner is…

The Nike Cultural
Troupe performed a beautiful Bata dance sequence, it was then time to
put down the wine glasses and applaud the winning artist.

Visual artists
Jerry Buhari and Ndidi Dike were in the jury that selected the 2010
LBHF/ Caterina de Medici award winner for Painting. The final 30 works
were displayed at various points in the large hall, with the
participating artists all eager to know if theirs would be the winning
artwork.

The fifth place
winner, Osagie Aimufia received a silver medal and a cash prize of
$5,000. Moses Zibo came fourth with a cash prize of $7,500 and a silver
medal. Folarin Razaq was happy as he ran upstage to receive his $10,000
prize and silver medal as the third place winner while the second place
winner went home with 15,000. Other participating artists took home
medals.

Kelani Abass, who
emerged the winner of the LBHF/ Caterina de Medici 2010 Painting Award
carted home a cash prize of $20,000 and the lone gold medal.

Abass had words of
thanks tumbling from his lips while two female ushers took the winning
painting round the hall for guests to get a good look.

“It was a tough competition and I am still amazed that my painting was selected as the winning work,” said the joyful winner.