Segun Aiyesan’s moment of truth

Segun Aiyesan’s moment of truth

The lesson of time
and how we can make the most of it is the focus of Segun Aiyesan’s solo
exhibition ‘Epiphany.’ At a press briefing on Wednesday, May 13 2010 at
the Signature Gallery, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, venue of the
exhibition, Aiyesan briefed the press on the messages and the process
behind the 38 works on display.

The works, which
were produced between 2009 and 2010, are mostly mixed media on canvas,
with the artist experimenting with sculpture, acrylic, sand, fabric and
other material.

The artist
discussed his process and what he expects to achieve with the solo
exhibition. “The theme of the exhibition is about how we waste our time
fighting, warring, disputing, while the time is not infinite. As we
spend time, we are losing time and we can never record it. So why waste
time doing all that when you can spend more time in achieving your
destiny?” Aiyesan posited.

Not all the works
however come under the theme of Epiphany “They are independent but also
within the scope of the theme,” he said of the few works described as
‘distractions.’

All those who view
the self-trained artist’s exhibition will encounter themes of
insincerity, environmental degradation, the safety of the future
generations, poor governance, national development, slavery and unity.
These are amongst other poignant issues raised by the artist, who
believes that while it pays to be happy, such happiness should not be
to the neglect of dark issues that affect progress. The solution to
man’s problems, the artist points out, is within and for man to submit
to the will of a higher power.

“I guess many of
these works are a reflection of personal experience and I guess
everybody must have experienced that at some point in their lives when
they realise that all by themselves, they really can’t do so much,” he
said. “The more you realise it the more you see the formula with which
you can achieve and conquer.”

Some of the works
are in series and many characters carry marks on their bodies. These,
Aiyesan describes as a sign of experience and toil.

He is hopeful that
guests at the exhibition will probably come away with the feeling that,
“Time is a gift. When this time goes it doesn’t come back anymore.
Basically, it is about realising the value of the time that we have and
that war and natural mishaps are the biggest things that are stealing
our time. As soon as that happens, everybody is on the same level.”

Segun Aiyesan’s solo exhibition, ‘Epiphany’, is on at the Signature Arts and Interior Gallery from May 28 till June 10.

Go to Source

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *