Yinka Olatunbosun
Four artists recently took Lagos by storm with a group exhibition that hinges on the theme of nationhood, unity, and an exploration of existing cultural heritage.
Breaking down long-held assumptions about communal identity and cultural cohesion of daily Nigerian life, the exhibition hosted by Happ Circle Gallery at the National Museum, Onikan in Lagos featured Moses Oghagbon, Klaranze Okhide, Kunle Ogunfuyi and Abdulrazaq Ahmed.
Titled Deconstructing Unity, each artist captured aspects of the Argungu Fishing Festival using varying mediums with a shared sense of purpose.
The curator of the exhibition, Moses Ohiomokhare, said the event, which is showcasing 40 artworks, 10 each from all the artists, took about six months to curate.
Conceived by one of the artists, Oghagbon, the exhibition was driven by his inspiration to infuse a novel perspective into the Argungu Festival series, which he had showcased over the past 21 years.
“The artists are adeptly guiding us through the fissures of our quotidian existence, urging us to scrutinise the very framework of our constructed realities,” he explained. “The goal here isn’t to celebrate unity as a fixed ideal. It’s to examine the fractures, the overlooked routines and symbols that hold or fail to hold us together.”
Oghagbon’s acrylic painting, “Man and Time”, shows the preparation that takes place the day before the festival, which he said was one of the mysteries of the event.
According to him, working with other artists was also symbolic in showcasing the essence of the exhibition and spreading the message of unity faster.
Another artist whose works were showcased, Abdulrazaq Ahmed, said the exhibition was about bringing different segments that come together to form unity. Ahmed, who is a multi-functional artist, said apart from fishing, there were other activities including wrestling, dance and horse riding, coming together to form the unity in the Argungu Festival.
One of his works, “The Gourd of Life” is a harmonious fusion of natural fibres and a resplendent gourd, delves into the intricate beauty of belonging.It nudges viewers to contemplate the complex nature of their own connections and affiliations.
For Kunle Ogunfuyi, situating the women at focus of his lens was necessary to change the patriarchal perspective from which many view the Argungu Fishing and Cultural Festival. The award-winning photojournalist and artist who had been covering the festival since 2004 hopes to use his photography to reangle the cultural story with a spotlight on the value that women add to the cultural staple beyond aesthetic appeal.
“People have a lot of misconceptions about it,” he said. “Women are often forgotten in public discourse. One of the pieces is titled ‘Voice yet to be heard.’ Instead of just showcasing the men who participate in the fishing expedition, we have women in the society that people talk less about.
“The culture of the people is not something to sweep under the carpet. When this cultural festival is taking place, there’s no breakdown of law and order. It enables the government to know that they must promote the festivals because during these festivals, the general mood is festive. We need to encourage unity not division. I have been covering the festival since 2004.”
Klaranze Okhide, an environmental artist with passion for cultural preservation said it is important to have a sense of identity in spite of western education.
Using materials sourced from her environment and cultural symbols, she pays homage to her African experience split over periods spent in different parts of Nigeria from childhood to adulthood.
In the piece titled “Heritage”, a lot of articles of history had been assembled, invoking nostalgia.
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