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The exhibition held
as part of the recently concluded first International Convention on Art
and Development (CONADEV), themed ‘Engaging Art as a Sustainable Tool
for Development’ was a big treat for art lovers in Lagos.

Though without a
title, the exhibition which held at Harmattan Workshop Gallery,
Victoria Island, featured works by designers, painters, sculptors, new
media artists and mix media artists. The about 50 works displayed were
made by Nigerian artists, a Ghanaian and an artist from Benin Republic.

President, Society
of Nigerian Artists (SNA), Uwa Usen, opened the exhibition which
started with entertainment from dance group, Theatre Centrik. The
dancers held the audience spell bound with their well choreographed
dance steps and acrobatics.

Viewers were able
to appreciate the beautiful artworks laid out in the three sections of
the gallery before the exhibition which opened on Monday, September 20
closed on September 26.

Celebration and development

The works explored
themes including celebration, development and growth. Bunmi Lasaki’s
‘Greenland Melody Merchants’; Palmer Noah’s ‘Life of a People’; Ahmed
Tijani’s ‘Drummers’; Dan Ifon’s ‘Labe Igi’ and Chris Ogieghbo’s
sculpture titled ‘The Saxophonist’ all depicted celebration.

Obiora Anaemaleze’s
mix media, ‘Anyabaife’ showing a girl reading and writing, and Olisa
Awunna’s ‘Sustainable Development’ tackled development and growth.

Lovers of landscape
paintings at the exhibition were not disappointed. Asmau Ahmed’s pastel
titled ‘Sabon Karshi’; Imonighie Imoesi’s ‘Unification of Purpose’ and
Olojo Koso’s ‘Close view of Majidun’ were available for their viewing
pleasure.

Famous Lagos
Island-based graffiti artist, Theophilus-Iwalokun Olaitan popularly
known as Ratty, also registered his presence with ‘Burning and Looting’.

Works leaning
towards traditional mysticism were also displayed. ‘Igba’ by Segun
Olotu and Okezie Okafor’s metal and wood sculptor, ‘Worshippers’,
combined well with Suleiman Taiwo’s fibre glass table top sculptor of a
goggled man reading.

Eminent artists,
Bruce Onobrakpeya and Kolade Oshinowo, were not left out. Onobrakpeya’s
‘Pendant and Beads’ and Oshinowo’s ‘Old City Gate’ were beauties to
behold.

Price issue

Victor Ecoma, a
lecturer at the Cross River University of Technology and participant at
the convention believed that it was good the exhibition held as part of
the meeting. He, however, commented on the pricing of the artworks.
“The exhibition raises an issue for pricing of art. What are the
criteria for appraising art? What are the indices? Is it objective or
subjective?”

Though artist, Ato
Arinze, was happy that the exhibition signified development in the art
scene, he expressed reservations about some of the works. “You cannot
see any development from what the artist has been doing before. It’s
the same thing in every exhibition. Development starts from the
individual artist, from his studio. Exhibitions are meant to show what
new things the artist is doing, it is when you get this right that you
can develop as an artist.”

Tijani Ahmed, a Ghanaian participant, was happy. “Though I wished
that there were more installation works and new media, I am happy to be
part of this great exhibition,” he said.