By Tajudeen Sowole
A 40-year old relationship between artholic,
Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi and artist, David Dale, found expression in a soiree
organised in celebration of the latter.
Held at a new venue,
Grillo Pavilion Annexe, Ikoyi, Lagos, the 30 works on display – new and others
on loan – stressed consistency and loyalty as two strong forces that sustain
the chord of relationship between an artist and a collector.
Gbadamosi started by taking
visitors down memory lane, sharing what appeared like a blend of the artist’s
philosophy with an eclectic young interest of the collector in what would be an
uncontrollable habit in art appreciation.
Although Dale expressed
his thoughts on the soiree when he read his ‘Artist Statement’ shortly after
Gabadamosi made a speech, his works on display on the two floors of the
pavilion filled whatever was missing in the one page statement. Nearly over 29 media, in which the
artist had worked throughout his 45-year career, were represented.
Gbadamosi recalled how he
first encountered Dale’s work during a soiree in 1971/72, when he saw a piece
titled, Tiger in the Cornfield. He described the work as the toast of
Dale’s works,” noting that it “symbolised early icon of his oeuvre.”
In Dale’s career, the
collector noted deep etchings as the middle period. The artist more known for
his ecstatic use of beads, according Gbadamosi, has taken the medium to an
aristocratic level with subtlety,
“yet enchanting and blossoming in unsurpassed visual effects that is now
recognised as the quintessential Dale’s beadworks.”
And, in appreciating
Dale’s new body of works along with the old, a brief look at his last solo
exhibition titled, Update, held at
Quintessence Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos in 2007, might just be of importance. Most
often, artists of Dale’s stature – having established strong signatures over
the decades – hardly make radical changes in medium and style. For Dale, such
identity must keep evolving, yet within the confine of his defined brand. In Update, for example, Multiplicity Makes for Strength, a piece depicting nine
hands placed one after the other to form a ring round a moon-like beam, exudes
beauty in the finger nails highlighted by acid. Indeed, the strength of the
work is more pronounced in the glow highlight of the encircled beam.
Five years after, the
Gbadamosi-organised soiree, again brings out the vintage Dale in the new works,
which, instructively, are dated 2012. In fact, he disclosed that “Dale, to my
surprise, produced these works at short notice.” Some of these include foils
such as ‘King Tortoise’, ‘Thought’ and ‘Bikini’ as well as a beadwork, ‘Peace’.
Dale appeared more
passionate about the soiree, when he noted, “I have been working up to six
hours extra just to get the works ready for this event”. From about 30 works on
display, 21 were produced in 2012 despite the artist’s fragile state of health.
Ahead of the Soiree,
during the preview, attention of the Grillo Pavilion team was drawn to a
possible health hazard from emission of some of the materials used by most
artists who engage in heavy mixed media as Dale does. The artist agreed that
there could be some serious health implication using some of the materials, but
he was quick to add, “even overseas, alternatives to most of the materials were
yet to be found”.
The curator, Mike Omoighe
said the best anyone could do in the meantime was to manage the level of
exposure to the perceived dangerous materials, noting that virtually every situation
in life has it’s risk. Even “the eba
(cassava flour) we eat could cause health issues,” he argued.
And the health issue
would not just go away, as one of the donors to the show and proprietor of
Treasure House, Omooba Olasehinde Odimayo, in his contribution to the catalogue
comments on Dale’s health, stating: “the deterioration of his health, in the
last five years or so is attributable to hazards arising from some of the
materials used in his major commissions”.
However, the depth of
Dale’s work, particularly in the beads and acid etching may just be enough joy
for the artist and his admirers, hence the essence of the soiree. Dale, 64, has
worked with about 23 media.
In sharing his
philosophy, Dale writes in the catalogue: “A minute success pays for the
failure of the years; everything yields to success, even grammar. The excursion
is the same when you go looking for your sorrow as when you go looking for your
joy”.
And when Gbadamosi
explained how the soiree represents the lifetime achievement of Dale “whose
remnant of energy has not in any shade diminished his valuable creativity,”
works such as Footprints, Traditional Dancers (Collection of
Gbadamosi), Dignity of Labour (from Odimayo) and Two Doves (courtesy of Sammy Olagbaju) epitomise the accolades
showered on the celebrant.
The Director-General of
National Gallery of Art (NGA), represented by his Special Adviser, Mufu
Onifade, commended Gbadamosi for reminding us of the masters who pioneered
notable areas of contemporary Nigerian art.
For Gbadamosi, the soiree
was a commitment of the resource centre, Yusuf Grillo Pavilion, which he
established in 2009 in honour of another master. The Grillo Pavilion has held
three editions of art fiesta at its headquarter in Kunbi Haven, Ikorodu, Lagos, and has featured four artists in each
year so far: Grillo, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Demas Nwoko and Prof. Uche Okeke, all
of the old Zaria School of Arts, Science and Technology (now Ahmadu Bello
University), Zaria.
Noting that Grillo
Pavilion, through the yearly art fiesta would not be able to accommodate all
notable artists “on the queue waiting to be celebrated,” Omoighe disclosed that
it had been decided to enlarge the scope. He said from next year, the Grillo
Pavilion would start its resource programmes in such areas as “art education
and skills workshops, bringing art programmes to the heart of Lagos”. He said
many artists acknowledge the Soiree as an “ingenuity of Grillo Pavilion for
blazing a new course, a delight for art connoisseurs”.
Since July 1967 when he made his debut in Lagos, Dale has had
about 70 exhibitions. He studied art at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria,
and was the graphic consultant, African Architectural Technology Exhibition for
FESTAC ’77 and also taught Visual Communication for 13 years, at the Department
of Architecture, University of Lagos.
Dale is a recipient of medals such as gold medal (1964), silver cup, 1965; second place, National Festival of Arts 1965; Human Education Institute of Africa, formerly of Dar es Salaam; First Class Star Award, for Contribution to contemporary art in Africa; Diamond publication bronze medal for contribution to the development of art in Nigeria.
Dale is a recipient of medals such as gold medal (1964), silver cup, 1965; second place, National Festival of Arts 1965; Human Education Institute of Africa, formerly of Dar es Salaam; First Class Star Award, for Contribution to contemporary art in Africa; Diamond publication bronze medal for contribution to the development of art in Nigeria.
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