By
Tajudeen Sowole
A
Nigerian Pavilion at the ongoing 15th edition of Venice Architecture Biennale 2016, breaks the elusiveness that has
been haunting the country's participation at the global gathering in Italy
every two years.
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Installation work ‘Diminished Capacity’ by Ola-Dele
Kuku for Nigerian Pavilion at the 15th Venice Architectural Biennale, Italy
PHOTO: FILIPPO PERETTI
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While Zimbabwe, Angola and South Africa among
other few countries in Africa have had pavilions at the over century-old visual
arts exhibition at the Venice Biennale,
a Nigerian pavilion remained elusive. More worrisome, many failed efforts in
the past appeared to have been an impediment for subsequent attempts. In fact,
the jinx breaker, Diminished Capacity,
works of artist-architect Ola-Dele Kuku - currently showing as Nigerian
Pavilion till November 2016 - nearly went the path of other failed attempts. It
took the doggedness of Kuku and intervention of government to rescue the
exhibition from being confined to 'another failed-attempt.'
Ironically, Nigerian artists and other art
event creative professionals have contributed to the success of quite a list of
biennales and other global gathering of art in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
It is however perspicuous that, within and outside Nigeria, the vast potential
of these art professionals have not directly benefited the country, in the
context of national profile. For examples: a Nigerian based in U.S., Okwui Enwezor
was the director of 56th edition of Venice Biennale Art Exhibition, last year,
perhaps, the first Black person to be so privileged, yet Nigeria had no pavilion
at the same event; and Bisi Silva, a home-based curator and founder of Centre for
Contemporary Art (CCA), Lagos was the creative director for the 10th Bamako
Encounters, a biennale of photography in Mali, last year, in addition to having been
on the Selection Committee of Art Dubai,
UAE for many years as well as a jury member at 55th Venice Biennale in 2013. These
potentials, and similar others, have not produced a Nigerian Pavilion at any major global art
biennale nor generated any yearly art event or biennale in Nigeria.
The
Venice event, which has been hosting countries from across the world is art and
architecture equivalent of the Olympics, showcasing creative identities of
participating nations. The Visual Arts exhibition, last year had 89 countries
participated with some individual Nigerian artists showing under non-national
pavilion platform.
In separate, exclusive chats with me, the two
individuals behind the success story of a first Nigerian Pavilion at Venice
Biennale: the artist-architect whose work is being exhibited, Kuku and director
of International Cultural Relations, Ministry of Information and Culture, Mr
Nkanta George Ufot explained the hidden facts about Nigeria's fragile route
that made the current effort a reality. From his Brussels, Belgium base, Kuku
shared his journey towards making Nigerian Pavilion a reality at the ongoing
Architecture exhibition of Venice Biennale, which ends in November 2016. For
Ufot, the much talked about attempts that did not generate any pavilion for
Nigeria in the past, perhaps, never really existed in the thinking of
government.
In his effort to have a solo exhibition in
Rome, Kuku, last year had a discussion with an Italian curator, Camilla Boemio.
But to Kuku's surprise, Boemio wanted to know why it was not possible for a
Nigerian pavilion to be implemented at the Venice Biennale on two different
occasions. Kuku recalled that on one of the two failed-attempts, Enwezor was
the artistic director of the Venice Biennale. His findings showed that the
organisers of Venice Biennale had placed Nigeria among countries in its black book
of unserious speculators. "I later found out the Fondazione La Biennale di
Venezia had blacklisted Nigeria (together with some other countries in Africa
and Asia), due to failure of adequate funding, national acknowledgment and
support, as well as non conformity with the requirements of the Fondazione
Biennale." Not satisfied, he wanted to know what went wrong.
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A section of the exhibition
PHOTO: FILIPPO PERETTI
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Whether art or architecture, dearth of professionals that are capable of standing
shoulder to shoulder with the bests from around the world is not the issue with
Nigeria, Kuku agreed. But the problem, he noted, is that most countries in
Africa "lack" fundamental "cultural infrastructure and
affiliated institutions that make such activities economically viable, which in
turn stimulate multiple potential possibilities both nationally and
internationally." Nigeria, he cited, has the highest number of profound
art professionals outside the continent.
Worried by the wasting potentials of Nigeria,
Kuku shelved his proposed-exhibition in Rome and made attempt to get Boemio
curate Nigerian Pavilion at the 15th Architecture Venice Biennale.
"This brought about my contact with the
Charge d'Affaires of Nigerian embassy in Brussels H.E. Mr. Ibrahim. B. Rabiu in
March 2015. " Rabiu would later suggest the involvement of the
then Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, in Abuja. The suggestion led to the involvement of Ufot.
Whatever led to the two failed-attempts at
staging a Nigerian Pavilion, Kuku wanted to know from Ufot, perhaps to learn
from the past and avoid possible mines ahead. Surprisingly, Ufot, according the
artist-architect, denied federal government's involvement in the two botched
attempts. "His reply was that there has never been a proposal to implement
a Nigerian pavilion allegedly presented to the ministry of culture by
institution or individual," Kuku disclosed.
One recalls that in 2013, a process was being
started by actress, Ego Boyo-led Temple Production, in collaboration with the
British Council Lagos to have a Pavilion titled Nigeria
Rising: Journey to Venice Biennale at the 2015 edition of Venice Biennale Art
Exhibition. During the first public forum for stakeholders, held at Moorehouse
in Ikoyi, Lagos, the National Gallery of Art (NGA, which was represented at the
forum, appeared not not in full support of the process.
But in Italy, two years after, Kuku was
determined to change the narrative. He was delighted that the International
Cultural Relations office had determination "to intervene in order to
change the negative attitude assumed by the Fondazione La Biennale di
Venezia." Kuku's proposed exhibition in Rome, would later be converted
into contents for the Nigerian Pavilion. With the effort of Ufot, a team, Kuku
stated, was raised to ensure that the Nigerian Pavilion flies. An architect and
director - Creative Intelligence association, Lagos, Mr. Koku Konu; and CEO
Arthouse Contemporary Ltd, Mrs. Kavita Chellaram were the two individuals who
worked behind the scene with Ufot.
However, the change of government back home
nearly led to another botched attempt as the delay in ministerial nominees by
President Muhammadu Buhari caused a friction between the ministry and the
Venice Biennale organisers. "The Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia had
insisted that for Nigeria to receive an official letter of invitation, the
‘proposal to participate’ letter was to be signed by the minister of culture,
and the commissioner for the pavilion should also be from the ministry,"
Kuku said. Trouble started when the signature of the Permanent Secretary at the
ministry appeared on the proposal for participation and was rejected by Fondazione La Biennale di
Venezia. The organisers had insisted
that only an acting minister’s signature would be accepted.
"But after a series of heated exchanges
between Mr Ufot and the Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia for not accepting the
signature of the Permanent Secretary, Lai Muhammed was nominated as Minister of
Information and Culture." Kuku recalled how Ufot's "relentless
efforts continued immediately after the nomination of the new minister by
presenting the letter for the minister’s signature."
A national Pavilion is the responsibility of
governmental agency of home country. For an individual to have initiated the
idea and brought the government into in midway, perhaps, created some
challenges for the ongoing Nigerian Pavilion. "The 15th International
Architecture, Venice Ma-November 2016, was actually introduced to the
Ministry through the effort of Architect Kuku," Ufot stated via email. But
government's involvement, he added, was mere endorsement, regretting the
ministry's inability to support Kuku's exhibition financially. "While we
have been able to support the administrative and political process of being
part of the Exposition, it has not been possible in the area of financial
support as the project was not included in the 2016 budget," Ufot
explained. "We genuinely appreciate the brilliant effort of Arc kuku
and his team in making it possible for the country to participate in this
important international outing."
Perhaps, in the future, a Nigerian Pavilion
would enjoy the support of government. "It is our fervent hope
that the Nigerian Government will support more adequately future
exhibitions in this direction."
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Architect Oka-Dele Kuku
PHOTO: AUGUSTO MAURANDI
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Specifically, what actually went wrong in the
failed attempts of the pasts? "I have no comment," Ufot replied.
Quite
amazing that in the year of Nigeria’s first showing at Venice Biennale, most remarkable achievements
came from the Diaspora. While Kuku made history mounting the first ever
Nigerian Pavilion, another architect, Kunle Adeyemi who is based in The
Netherlands was given a Silver Lion Award for his Makoko Floating School work at
the same event.
About Kuku’s Diminished Capacity: The theme, according to Kuku is aimed at
highlighting awareness of the contemporary global phenomenon of 'Socio-Cultural
Conflicts', with specific focus on the role of 'Information Communication' and
the 'Mass Media.'
“The
contemporary sociology of mass media communication reveals a consistent
presentation of agendas rather than reports which are illustrated by selected
interest in particularities, focus and oversight.’
“The
main statement of the exhibition was a text written in neon - 'Africa is
not a country'! This was to serve as a reminder to Nigeria, that the perception
of the continent is not consensus with what we are!
“When there was famine in Ethiopia, it was United
Supports of Artists for Africa (USA); when aids was rampant, it was aids
started in Africa and so on. That is diminished capacity! Hence, is Nigeria
part of the assumed country called Africa, or is Nigeria the leading country on
the continent called Africa?”
International
support for the Nigerian Pavilion came from two galleries in Brussels, (LMS
Gallery and Philippe Laeremans Tribal Art Gallery) and The University where I
teach the international masters programme (KU Leuven - St Lucas Architectuur,
Gent).
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