By Tajudeen Sowole
Despite being regarded as the most-documented living Nigerian artist,
Dr Bruce Onobrakpeya keeps expanding the literary appreciation as another book Masks of the Flaming Arrows converges some of the top names
in the art academia to appropriate the artist's career of over five decades.
Cover of the book
Edited by Prof dele jegede, supported by Ford Foundation as
well as Development Alternatives and Resource Centre, the 399 pages hard
cover book is published by 5-Continents.
As crucial to the volume
of pages and deepness of the individual scholarly input is to a strong
appropriation of Onobrakpeya's trajectory, visual assimilation of the over all
contents is well respected. In fact, the pages of the book are highly populated
with images of master pieces of the artist's works across genres and periods.
For jegede, Onobrakpeya is a familiar subject. Apart from
presenting the lecture tagged Onobrakpeya:
The Legacy, at the second edition of Yusuf Grillo Pavilion Art Fiesta
organized to celebrate the master printmaker, the art historian has,
severally, proven that he is a consistent researcher on Onobrakpeya subject.
Jegede, a Professor of Art History at Miami University, Ohio, U.S., has been
tracking Onobrakpeya since 1992. The historian's vast knowledge of the artist's
work, no doubt resonates in the compilation of 10 other reviews and critiques
by authors from Africa and the Diaspora as crucial contents of Masks of the Flaming Arrows.
In the early pages - after Preface, Foreword, Artist's
Notes and Introduction - under the heading Rumination
on Onobrakpeya Bruce Onobrakpeya: the. Legacy, jegede
argues that patronages energise artists as well as enhances a nation's history.
He cites the examples of ancient and pre-Nigeria nation state art such as the
Nok, Ife, Benin and Igbo Ukwu objects as some of the windows from which the
people's history is better viewed and blossom beyond the period when the works were
created. The scholar however warns that "patronage is vibrant only when
there is a coterie of individuals or entities whose unbridled love for the arts
is matched by the wherewithal and determination to exert an affecting
presence."
The much-celebrated or controversial sobriquet 'Zaria Rebels'
given to a group who were among the early sets of pioneer art students of
Nigerian College of Art, Science and Technology (NCAST) Zaria,
expectedly, resurfaces in jegede's writing. Recall that Onobrakpeya was
one of the members of the Zaria Arts Society and students that graduated at
NCAST in 1962. Despite volumes of works written by critics and art scholars,
over the decades, on the Zaria rebels' subject, jegede appears
dissatisfied with the directions of most writers. Something has been missing;
"we have not adequately contextualise Zaria." He notes that the Zaria
group demonstrated an allergy to neo-colonialism." In fact, jegede cites,
for example, how the young artists were not impressed with the star artist of
that period, Ben Enwonwu's thematic direction. The young Zaria students,
according to jegede were not impressed by Nwonwu's "coolness with colonial
officialdom and fell that he was not a strong advocate of indigenising the
arts.'
Members of the Zaria
Arts Society included Uche Okeke, Yusuf Grillo, Onobrakpeya, Demas Nwoko, Simon
Okeke and Odechukwu Odita.
The background of native
contents in Nigerian art, which Onobrakpeya helped to promote would later form
a great part of his art ascendancy. Under a sub-heading Onobrakpeya's
Ascendancy, jegede recalls that the artist's career as at 1982 convinced him
that he had reached the "height of his professional development."
But jegede admitted that his assessment of the artist's career zenith
in 1982 was "proven wrong." Onobrakpeya's residency in Ibadan, he
argues forms a crucial part of the artist's ascendancy.
However, critiques and
reviews from authors, either published in exhibitions catalogue, journals
or newspapers as well as events form a greater part of the book. Such works of
intense visual literature and interview come from David Okpako, Frank Ugiomoh,
Gani Odutokun, Olakuble Filani John Agberia, Frank Ugiomoh, Pat
Oyebola, Osa D Egonwa, Basil Sunday
Nnamidi and Humphrey Bakaren.
 |
| Dr Bruce Onobrakpeya |
It may not exactly be an
exaggeration to argue that Onobrakpeya has, through his art, promoted
Urhobo culture more than any other individual of his generation. The
artist's passion for his native Urhobo culture perhaps inspired the lecture
titled Accessing Culture Through Art; Bruce
Onobrakpeya on Urhobo Myths. The text
of the lecture, which is reproduced as part of the book’s rich contents was
given by Okpako on November 8, 2012 at the Institute of African Studies,
University of Ibadan on the artist's birthday art exhibition.
Probing deeper into the
artist's Urhobo themes, Filani, in.
his presentation published in the book notes that "in order to understand
and appreciate Onobrakpet's works, background knowledge of
his socio-culture religious and educational influences
required."
For Agberia who has
dedicated a greater part of his academic career studying Onobrakpeya, the
artist's most profound legacy, the Harmattan Workshops, which hold avery year
at Agbhar Otor, Delta State, Southsoutth of Nigeria is his focus.
Stating that the
emergence of Onobrakpeya and the other members of his Zaria. colleagues
"redefine modern Nigerian art in diverse ways," Ugiomoh distills the
artist's form as a main asset that stands his work out in the crowd.. Further
in his paper titled Bruce Onobrakpeya's
Art: An Analytical Approach to the
Configuration of Form, Ugiomoh
explains how the artist's work oozes in character and form. "The second
most important factor that gives character and forms to Onobrakpeya's work is
the employment of harmony variation enacted through organised variation of
similar things- and at times the same things.”
In her critiquing of
quite a number of Onobrakpeya's works that cut across the artist's periods,
Oyelola, under the heading The Earth As
Anchor to the Spirit in Ascent, describes the artist as "both
conservator and innovator, opening our eyes by the skill of his hand."
Reviewing Masks of the Flaming Arrows during
the presentation at Ford Foundation office in Lagos, Prof Ola Oloidi stated
that the book "is highly educative." He therefore recommended it to
"students of art, sociology, anthropology, religion, political
science, African Studies, Mass Communication and all those who needs
developmental inspiration."
Onobrakpeya disclosed to the audience that the book was
scheduled to be launched during his 80th birthday, in 2012. He however insisted
that the book is still "the greatest birthday present I have ever
received."
And as prolific as the
artist is so revered, his motivation in creating works, he explained is when
such works are properly documented, particularly in book form. He told everyone
who has contributed to the publishing of the book that "you have created a
master piece far greater than any individual pieces which the book holds together."
The occasion also
provided opportunity for the artist to revisit the incoherence of government’s
policies on the arts and culture. "I like to use this opportunity to
remind Mr President of two very urgent needs that will move our art forward.
The first is the erection of contemporary art galleries in principal cities in
Nigeria. The other one is the ratification of Nigerian Cultural Policy."
Foreword of the book is written by President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan, Preface by Prof Ebigberi Joe Alagoa. ,Introduction by Mr
Innocent Chukwuma, Ford Foundation Representative for West Africa ,and
aknowledgement by jegade.
During the celebration of
Onobrakpeya at 80 two years ago, a major art
exhibition titled Ore Idjubili (Jubilee Festival), held at Nike Art Gallery, Lekki, Lagos,
led several other similar shows organized in Nigeria and the U.S. to mark the
master printmaker’s birthday.
Noted
as the artist’s first solo exhibition 1992, Jubilee Festival condenses 50
years in the career of his career and perhaps provided academia and critics an
opportunity of deeper study of his art.
The
exhibition, more significantly highlighted Onobrakpeya’s
periods, which included Mythical Realism, 1957-1962; Sunshine,
1962-1967; The Mask and Cross, 1967-1978; Symbols of Royalty,
1978-1984; Sahelian Masquerades, 1984-1988; The Mask, 1990-1995; Social
Unrest, 1995-1999; Installation (1995 till date).
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