By Tajudeen Sowole
When Nigerian-British artist,
Yinka Shonibare (MBE) opened his exhibition, the ‘clique’ character in Lagos
and Victoria Island art community shed its arrogant weight and moved to Ikeja,
an unusual axis for art events. The occasion was a Lagos, Nigeria stopover for
world tour exhibition of Shonibare's Wind Sculpture VI.
Shonibare,
one of African Diaspora's biggest art exports to the world has been touring
cities with his new public space work, Wind Sculpture series since 2014.
Currently, the sculpture, a six metre high, is on display at Ndubuisi Kanu
Park,
Ikeja, Lagos, till January
2017.
In 2013, two editions of the work were
exhibited at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, England, and also at Cannonball
Paradise, Gerisch Stiftung, Neumunster, Germany in 2014. The Wind Sculpture series, which
investigates the curious link between art and science within the context of
sailing in the wind and relation to fabric, clearly, finds a spacious air to
breathe at Ndubuisi Kanu
park. The space confirms a right choice of venue compared to the Islands part of the city where high rise buildings would have swallowed its aesthetics. The colourful sculpture, which perhaps fits into the colour-conscious art taste of Lagos aficionados, stresses the artist's signature in extensive application of Dutch wax, a fabric widely used by people of West Africans. But the fabric patterns were hand-painted, a deviation from direct application of textile as seen in the artist’s past works.
park. The space confirms a right choice of venue compared to the Islands part of the city where high rise buildings would have swallowed its aesthetics. The colourful sculpture, which perhaps fits into the colour-conscious art taste of Lagos aficionados, stresses the artist's signature in extensive application of Dutch wax, a fabric widely used by people of West Africans. But the fabric patterns were hand-painted, a deviation from direct application of textile as seen in the artist’s past works.
However, the sculpture, again, asserts
Shonibare's mastery of public space art. After his widely accepted and
publicised Nelson's Ship In A Bottle
sculpture - mounted at Trafalgar Square, London - Shonibare's image in the
public space art sphere soared. The sculpture, a historical revisit of
nineteenth century British warship, which recorded significant part in the
battle of Trafalgar, was later acquired by UK's Maritime Museum.
"E
ku ijoko o," Shonibare greets the audience in Yoruba language as he
prepares to share his thoughts during the opening at Ndubuisi Kanu Park. He recalls
his first major visit to Nigeria in 2010, courtesy of Bisi Silva-led Centre for
Contemporary Art (CCA), Lagos. Again, he shares his well-documented story of
how Lagos, particularly, the National Museum, at Onikan, contributed to his
passion in loving art as a teenager. In London for nearly 40 years, his
adventure as a pronounced contemporary artist, has generated quite a number of
rewards, including "four honourary doctorate degrees and my work at
National Maritime Museum."
Wind
Sculpture VI by Yinka Shonibare on display at Ndubuisi Kanu Park,
Alausa Ikeja, Lagos.
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For his second visit with the Wind
Sculpture VI, Shonibare thanks British Council and GTBank for their
supports. Interestingly, GTB has been consistent in supporting the artist: Nelson's
Ship In A Bottle was actually sponsored by the bank. For Wind Sculpture VI,
the camaraderie continues as the bank, in partnership with British Council
promoted the exhibition in Lagos.
His visit to Lagos in 2011, he insists, has
played a great part in in a resolve to contribute to the growing energetic art
space of the city. And in clear terms, what is he contributing to Lagos art
environment? "Contemporary art museum," he discloses shortly before
the official opening of Wind Sculpture VI. A land, he states, has been
acquired already in Lekki for the proposed-museum. Shonibare describes Lagos as
"culturally dynamic," but laments that the potential of the city has
not been fully implored. "There are powerful people in Nigeria who can
build such museum," he argues. And while commending the passion of
Nigerians in collecting art, Shonibare warns that "we need a space to
preserve our collections."
In 2011, during his visit to Lagos,
Shonibaare had expressed hope of making his experience count on the Nigerian
art environment. After he was commissioned to do the Trafalgar Square work, he
hoped to make that experience relevant in his native Nigerian space. “That
is the scale of my ambition in Nigeria, among other projects I like to do here,”
he told me during a chat early 2011.
As one of the Young British Artists (YBA) from
the revered Goldsmith College, )Shonibare started establishing his art with several outings in
the mid 1990s, which brought him to limelight, and extended his career with the
famous installation, Gallantry and Criminal Conversation, Documenta 11 (2002)
as well as Africa Remix and Bicentenary group art exhibition held in London in
2007,
Shonibare, 54, was born in London and moved to
Lagos, Nigeria at the age of three. For his art, he returned to study Fine Art
at Byam Shaw College of Art and later at Goldsmiths College, for his MFA.
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