By
Tajudeen Sowole
Currently showing till July 30, 2014 at the top floor of J.P. Clark Centre, Faculty of Arts, University of Lagos (Unilag), Akoka, the group art exhibition, in curatorial context, could make contents for a Wole Soyinka museum in the future. The works, which include medium of painting, mixed media, design and sculpture place Soyinka as a legend whose impact on the society has become a treasure to humanity, across generations and cultures.
A well-researched exhibition by the
curator, Prof Peju Layiwola, the works on display consist of largely memorabilia
of Soyinka-related art pieces that are as old as some of his books and plays or
essays. Even, recently produced art pieces such as posters that represent some
of Soyinka"s staged plays strengthen the museum prospect contents of the
exhibition. The exhibition is organized as part of the Soyinka
International Conference 2014.
Some of the exhibiting artists include
Dr Bruce Onobrakpeya, Tola Wewe, Layiwola, Bolaji Ogunwo, Sheriff Oyetunde,
David Ikelewve, Taye Erewele, Greg Odakose among others. Jelili Atiku had a
performing in front of the centre’s building.
In Onobrakpeya's 1986 copper foiled Horns of Freedom, comes a hidden story about
the celebration of the Nobel Prize given to Soyinka. The work, according to a
text attached, is inspired by Soyinka's fearlessness. The relief surface
depicts three identical horns that represent freedom, courage and honour.
However, the memorabilia content of the work comes from the story that led to
the production of the 28 year-old art piece: Onobrakpeya was commissioned to
produce 200 prints which were to be sold "to help cover the cost of some
of the events associated with" the Nobel prize in 1986. After
the production, Onobrakeya would extend the concept into a single, but
large art piece, hence the Horns of Freedom.
Indeed, quite a number of Onobrakpeya's works, seen outside
the ongoing exhibition have traces of inspirations from authors such as Soyinka
and D.O Fagunwa. In fact, in another work mounted just beside Horns of Freedom and titled Encounter with Eru (Fear) and the Ogboni,
the printmaker appropriates his passion for the literary works of the two
authors. Rendered in prints on paper, it confirms Onobrakpeya's attachment to
the literary scene in Nigeria just as the printmaker would later be known as
one of the Nigerian artists whose signatures are mostly used on book covers.
For Encounter with Eru (Fear) and the
Ogboni, the inspiration comes from The
Forest of a Thousand Daemons’ and The
Ogboni extracted from Soyinka's Ake-
The Years of Childhood.’
One of the strong areas of Soyinka's literary ingenuity is
his connecting cultures across peoples, where such rare link exists. Recall his
comparative analysis of two deities, Ogun (Yoruba) and Dionysus (Greek) in one
of his works. Layiwola's
oval-shaped aluminum print titled Conversation
of the Gods captures the poet's analysis. Layiwola first showed the work in
2005, at a group exhibition of 95 artists to mark the Greek National Day in
Lagos, which was opened by Soyinka. For the exhibition, 95 artists from across
Nigeria participated. She notes that the work "draws on the similarities
between both Greek and Yoruba mythologies." Soyinka’s comparison of Ogun
and Dionysus in a 1967 essay, The Fourth
Stage: Through the Mysteries of Ogun to the Origin of Yoruba Tragedy,
Layiwola argues "crystalises" in her work.
From paintings that depict posters of
Soyinka plays designed by students, to sculptural pieces by Layiwola and
Ikyeleve, Akintunde and Ajetumobi, the exhibition, arguably, appears like one
of the richest single events in recent times on the career of Soyinka. Such
museum materials, for example, ooze in the sculpture joint ly produced by Layiwola
and Ikyeleve, titled Staff of Brother
Jero; Akintunde's Melting Pot and
Ajetutobi's work of the same title; and the students' artistic impressions of Death and the King's Horseman, Abiku, among others.
Shortly
before declaring the exhibition opened, renowned poet. Prof J.P Clark in his
speech revisited the Mbari Mbayo club period of the icons known in the Nigerian
literary parlance as the pioneer quartet.
While clarifying that though he, Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and Christopher Okigbo
attended the University College Ibadan (now University of Ibadan), Clark
disclosed that himself and some of his colleagues "are a little bit
confused" with the sobriquet Ibadan
quartet or pioneer quartet.
"We all went to University College together, but not at the same
time," he clarified. "We related together at Mbari during Nigeria’s independence period. Onobrakpeya joined us
later." However, Clark stressed the gains of the gathering as it cuts
across "literary art, music theatre and visual arts."
And on the celebration of Soyinka's 80th birthday, he argued that
it goes beyond the celebrant. "It's also a celebration of African
literature." Earlier, he joked about "Wole always say he is older
than me. But he knows he is my aburo,
by six months though." In December last year, Clark marked his 80th
birthday.
In her curatorial note Layiwola, Associate Professor of
Art History at the Department of Creative Arts, University of Lagos, also revisits
the synergy that exists among the creative people across the genres in the 1960.
She notes that Onobrakpeya, JP Clark and Wole Soyinka all formed part of the
Mbari Mbayo Group in the 1960s at Ibadan.” The works of the visual artist among
the group, she stresses, reflect the synergy that characterised creative era of
collaboration among the professionals across disciplines in the arts.
No comments:
Post a Comment