Seven
members of Araism Movement who, recently, had a group exhibition in Florida,
U.S, are back in Lagos to continue promoting a style and form that bring them
together.
Titled Araism Movement 13: Return From Florida,
the Nigeria edition opens from Thursday, September 4, and ends Monday, September 8, 2014 at
Red Door Art
Gallery, Victoria Island, Lagos,
According to the group, the Florida event was "40-day exposé," which
had the artists "stamped" the movement's "creative authority on
the American soil with a glamorous opening ceremony."
The founder of araism, Mufu Onifade stated that after making its first ever
appearance in Florida, the artists hoped to make Nigerian wing of the show
"a testimony" to the movement's
"proclamation as the country’s most consistent art group." The Lagos
exhibition, which is coming many years after its last outing in the city, he
assured "is also an opportunity to interact with the Nigerian art public."
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A work from araism style of art titled Dolphin, by Oludotun Popoola
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Exhibiting
artists include Onifade, Abiola
Mautin Akande, Oludotun Popoola, Oluwanbe Amodu, George Egunjobi, Jonathan
Imafidor and Odumbo Adeniran.
For the Lagos show, Onifade said each of
the participating artists will contribute some of the works shown in Florida.
He noted that the Florida outing reflected a mirror "on what is described
by Robyn Vegas, the co-curator, as 'a snapshot of life in Africa
where life began.'
Expected
to be on display at the Lagos event of Araism
Movement 13 are Tibi Tire (Pain and Gain), Ibale (White Handkerchief), and Community
Police by Onifade; Motherhood and
Bini Chief from Imafidor; Dolphin, Awelewa (Symbol of Beauty) and Oba Eye (Peacock) by Popoola.
Others are Odumbo’s Living on Stilts, Sand Boats, King's Guard, and Lagos
Yellow; Amodu’s Asale Ere (Night of
performance), From Lagos to Yankee,
and Ona Kan O Woja (Access Roads). Egunjobi will present Oracle’s Language, Spokesman and Moremi (Courageous Queen). "All the 21 works, with the
exception of Popoola’s Dolphin,
address one social issue or the other that are of African authenticity."
Onifade added that
Araism Movement’s return to exhibition space
in Nigeria "is a continuation of the imprints of its exhibition series. It
is also the Movement’s sustenance of its tradition of
consistency." He argued that the
group's appearance in the US has
stressed the "quality" of members' works..
"We are delighted at the reception
accorded us, and the fact that we are progressing with history,” Popoola, secretary of Araism Movement who led other members
back to Nigeria, could not hide his excitement about the Florida show. “Apart from the founder, we
were all first-time travelers. The show was an eye opener. And this has become
one of Araism Movement’s invaluable advantages to our individual practice.”
Bola
Asiru of Red Door Gallery will curate Araism
Movement 13: Return From Florida. Since its opening last year, Red Door has maintained a high
level of professionalism in its handling of art and art-related matters.
On the hosting of Araism Movement for
the first time in his gallery, Asiru disclosed that Red Door’s interest lies in the group’s consistency and
sustainability of quality in its members’ creative output.” He argued that the group's consistency would appeal
to any gallery." Asiru assured that at Red Door “we will do our bit, and hope
the Movement will continue to sustain the tradition for which it is widely
known.”
In a Gallery Statement for the show, Red
Door stated: “We encourage everyone to treat this exhibition as a journey of
immersion - first of all immerse yourself in the unique Araism technique and
subsequently, immerse yourself into the unique message behind each work that
has been selected for the show.”
The gallery stressed: “This exhibition was
envisioned as a celebration of a return from a long journey after exhibiting
Araism in the United States; but indeed, it will begin a new journey for
African art observers and Araism followers worldwide."
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