Bold, different... Strokes
everywhere is converted to commercial district, the
impressionism rendition captures street trader competes for attention, a typical depiction of the disorderliness in the leadership of a nation.
As ‘illegal’ as the authorities may want people to believe of the trading activities, the traders do pay daily levies to the government through some hired thugs under the guise of ‘consultants’, the artist notes.
But the traders know better not to trust the government. When it suits the authority, like when HRH, Queen mother or her son comes on a visit to the country, the law enforcement agents take up the task
of chasing the traders out of the major highways from the view of
the VIP.
The wise ones among the traders are prepared for this as a jewellery
hawker in Aladegbongbe’s Different Strokes is seen hanging her ‘show room’ on the neck — a position that makes it easy to beat the hypocritical arm of the law when it suits it to strike.
Aladegbongbe, a designer and sculptor of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria’s (PMAN) Award plaque for its 21st anniversary, last year, made his debut in a group exhibition at
Mydrim Gallery in 1991. After bagging HND, Fine Art, at
Yaba College of Technology in 1992, Aladegbongbe proceeded to
the University of Calabar, where he did a Master’s in Education programme . His recent group shows included a solo, Visual Vanguard, held at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, last October.
BY TAJUDEEN SOWOLE
(First published November 19 - 25, 2006)
(First published November 19 - 25, 2006)
ORGANISING a debut solo art exhibition though appear like a huge challenge for painter Ademorin Aderinsoye Aladegbonbge, but the cat and mouse characteristic of the Lagos government and the stubborn street traders are far more of concern for the artist whose list of about 18 group shows spans a period of 12 years.
Experience garnered over this period forms the base on which the
artist is raising his voice, through the canvas, on the quest for a society where infrastructures are aided to work by makers and operators of policies.
Still showing at the SADP Gallery, Yusuf Grillo Complex, Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos, the exhibition entitled A Nation and Her Different Strokes of Policies brings to focus shades of results from a people who, in spite of abundance, seem to lack leadership.
From this comes the desperation for survival as explains in one of the works titled Different Strokes, depicting typical Lagos street?
THE choice of the artist’s location, though not clearly a market scene. However, within the definition of trading in Lagos, whereartist is raising his voice, through the canvas, on the quest for a society where infrastructures are aided to work by makers and operators of policies.
Still showing at the SADP Gallery, Yusuf Grillo Complex, Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos, the exhibition entitled A Nation and Her Different Strokes of Policies brings to focus shades of results from a people who, in spite of abundance, seem to lack leadership.
From this comes the desperation for survival as explains in one of the works titled Different Strokes, depicting typical Lagos street?
everywhere is converted to commercial district, the
impressionism rendition captures street trader competes for attention, a typical depiction of the disorderliness in the leadership of a nation.
As ‘illegal’ as the authorities may want people to believe of the trading activities, the traders do pay daily levies to the government through some hired thugs under the guise of ‘consultants’, the artist notes.
But the traders know better not to trust the government. When it suits the authority, like when HRH, Queen mother or her son comes on a visit to the country, the law enforcement agents take up the task
of chasing the traders out of the major highways from the view of
the VIP.
The wise ones among the traders are prepared for this as a jewellery
hawker in Aladegbongbe’s Different Strokes is seen hanging her ‘show room’ on the neck — a position that makes it easy to beat the hypocritical arm of the law when it suits it to strike.
Aladegbongbe, a designer and sculptor of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria’s (PMAN) Award plaque for its 21st anniversary, last year, made his debut in a group exhibition at
Mydrim Gallery in 1991. After bagging HND, Fine Art, at
Yaba College of Technology in 1992, Aladegbongbe proceeded to
the University of Calabar, where he did a Master’s in Education programme . His recent group shows included a solo, Visual Vanguard, held at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, last October.
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