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It was an outing of elders but the young were there to watch. It was quite a crowd at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday, September 30 when `An Evening with The Masters`, a one-week exhibition featuring three eminent Nigerian artists and Ghanaian, Ablade Glover, opened.

The multi-talented Abayomi Barber (who didn’t make the opening because of a family wedding); initiator of the Harmattan workshops, Bruce Onobrakpeya; and former president, Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), Kolade Oshinowo, were the three Nigerians in the exhibition.

About 40 works of the artists, some made as recently as 2010, were shown at the exhibition, the opening ceremony of which was graced by guests including Erelu Abiola Dosunmu, Azu Nwagbogu and others.

Disclosing the idea behind the exhibition, its organiser and founder of Terra Kulture, Bolanle Austen-Peters, explained that it was the outfit`s way of celebrating the progress of Nigerian art since Independence. “We think that the best way we can showcase what we have achieved in this area is to put together a couple of masters to showcase their works for our Independence anniversary.” She added that the quartet were selected because of their availability and exhibition space at the centre.

On the inclusion of the renowned Ghanaian art educator and painter, Austen- Peters disclosed that it was based on the excellent relationship Terra Kulture has with Glover. “He used to mentor artists for us. We used to have an exchange programme with the Ford Foundation and we used him as our base in Ghana. We`ve forged a very strong relationship at the very inception of Terra Kulture about seven years ago. That`s why – and we thought we should widen [the exhibition], not just Nigeria.”

Glad to be back

It was a great return to Nigeria, however, for the soft spoken Ghanaian whom people kept approaching to greet and chat with. Though he disclosed that he shudders whenever the word `master` is used for him, Glover expressed gladness over his inclusion.

“It’s good, I met two friends I know already, Bruce Onobrakpeya and Kolade Oshinowo. They are long friends, I met Oshinowo in 1979 and Bruce in the early 80s. We`ve been connecting for some time. Since 1979, I haven`t seen [Oshinowo]. It`s a celebration. It is good to meet these artists I have known over the years.”

Laudable initiative

Oshinowo, former deputy Rector, Yaba College of Technology, also welcomed the exhibition. “I think we need to have more of this so that the younger ones at least will not only see the works, they will have the opportunity of meeting the artists. I think it`s a thing that is a bit lacking. I meet people and they say, ah thank God. I`ve read about you, now I`m seeing you physically so I think it`s a good thing that Terra Kulture has done in celebrating Nigeria at 50, they decided to showcase those they regard as masters.”

Oshinowo, who wouldn`t agree he is a master, said, “I`m still working, I`m still learning and the road is far. For any artist the road is far, you never quite get there. So long as you have the good health to work, you discover that you have a lot to say and if you look at artists over the ages, they work until they drop. Picasso worked until he dropped, all of them. And it`s not about money because these are very rich people, but because they believed they still had something to say which they had not said, so they will continue to produce works.”

The artist who will like government to provide a purpose-built gallery in Abuja for artists, also expressed happiness at seeing Glover whom he invited to Nigeria in 1979 as secretary of the SNA. “We wanted international flavour; we thought we should be exhibiting artists from outside of Nigeria and we invited him. We had crisis with Ghana but he was still able to come and that was his foray into the Nigerian art scene and I don`t think that he has regreted it. I think he has made more money from Nigeria than anywhere else. But he is a hardworking artist.”

50-year cycle

The duo, perhaps, were not as happy as Onobrakpeya whose old and recent works were included. He said of the works: “These are a few of the many experiments that have come out of me within the last 50 years. One work of mine inspires another one and so the continous growth. There were works that were done in 1980 here and there are others that were done few years ago. There is one that is painted just last year so it’s continous coming back 50 years back.

The artist also recalled the 1960 exhibition some say gave him his break.”50 years ago, as young artists, we showed our works in Bonny Camp. That was the trade fair then where they showed artworks. Now we are showing these works here, so really what we have done is that a cycle of 50 years has been completed and we are hoping that all of us, particularly you will see the next cycle of 50 years.”