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Why Art?

When I was in
primary school, my teacher used to send me to draw pictures on the
blackboard and friends with whom I went to school usually said: Midy,
you have the talent. I will say I had it inside me and it came out when
the time came. I was not forced; it is a pleasure for me to do Art.

Training

I got my training
with a senior artist in Cotonou. After that, I went to College of Art,
University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, to further my
training. I also came to Agbarha Otor, the annual workshops organised
by Bruce Onobrakpeya. I got to learn things that I added to my work
there. I have been to the Agbarha Otor workshops five times now and I
enjoy it because I see friends there.

Medium

I use acrylic and I
also use coffee. I experimented with coffee and the result was okay so
I continued. Coffee is good for giving a painting an old effect. To get
the old effect, you mix it with acrylic. You just pour hot water on it
and mix it with acrylic. I learnt it from one of the senior artists in
Benin but I also experimented to get my own result. The way I use
coffee to work is different from the way I learned to use it.

Influences

I don’t like to go
through books, I want to be myself. I go to exhibitions to see
paintings but I love to be myself, to create things belonging to me.
You have people whom you appreciate what they are doing; when I went to
Agbarha Otor, Bruce Onobrakpeya influenced me. I was doing some things
before but I discovered from him another way of doing those things. I
was also influenced by most of the senior artists in Ivory Coast.

Inspiration

Ordinary life. What is happening around me inspires me. If I want to summarise everything, I will say God inspires me.

Best work so far

It is in my house,
I’m not selling it. It’s a painting but I want to protect it. Everybody
coming into my studio wants to buy that artwork so I decided two months
ago not to show it again. I placed it inside my bedroom, nobody will
see it again.

Least satisfying work

I like everything.
If I don’t like it today, I can keep it somewhere. Years or months
after, I will work on it again to give it another aspect. Some of the
works, I don’t feel them so I just keep them aside but years later, I
can have a contact with the work, I’ll go back to it. Most of my works,
I used to do them like that.

Career high point

When I went to
Dak’Art Biennale in 2006. I wanted to go in 2002 and 2004 but was
afraid because of the finance. I have a collector; I just went to see
him, to tell him that I’ll like to go to Dakar Biennale. The first
answer he gave me was I will buy you a ticket so I was so happy. I went
to see what was happening, that people had always told me about.

Favourite artist living or dead

I have to thank
Agbelusi Abiodun, he is the one who asked me to come to Nigeria to show
my work. He started asking me in 2002 but I was scared until I decided
to come in 2005. People like him are rare, most people like to keep
things to themselves but I don’t like such people. There is also
Romuald Hazoume, one of the senior artists in Benin. He also made me
like what I’m doing.

Ambitions

I’ll like to have a
centre that I will call Midy Art Centre where I will teach people what
I’m doing because when God has given you something, you have to give
back to others. I want to share what I know with other people. That
will be my satisfaction.