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| Pain on board, paper, stuffed dummies, rope, wire, bags, 2013, by Nkechi Nwosu-Igbo (2) |
ADA DIKE
“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go
together.” This African proverb was quoted by the curator of “No Fly List,”
Nkechi Nwosu-Igbo of Mild Red Studios, Lagos.
She curated the exhibition of some artworks at the 15th
Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF) which began on Friday, November 15 and
ended Sunday, 17, 2013. No Fly List, according to her is a group exhibition
that considers Lagos as a snob.
According to her, No Fly List conveyed the varied
thought-provoking practices of some of the most inspiring and confrontational
artists working in Nigeria such as Jelili Atiku, Nkechi Nwosu-Igbo, Fidelis
Odogwu, Aderemi Adegbite, Diseye Tantua, Aisha Dapchi and Jumoke Verissimo.
According to her, these artists have offered a body of work
where different forms such as installation, video, spoken word, photography,
performance art and music are used to describe the political, communal and
emotional effects of living and surviving in Lagos.
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| All for one, metal, 2013 by Fidelis Odogwu |
She hinted that her work, More wind in plain sights (2013)
is poetic and abstract. “This wall and floor installation is primarily composed
of striped designed plastic bags and fluffy wool. These materials have been
used in their pristine condition as metaphoric allusions to the enormous wealth
that defines the afropolitan Lagos, a financial and commercial capital. The
high human population density in Lagos makes it a viable place for all kinds of
businesses,” she said.
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| More wind in plain sights, hair, plastic knives, rafia, 2013 by Nkechi Nwosu-Igbo |
For Pain on board which features tricycle also known as
“Keke Marwa” which is a cheaper means of transportation in Lagos, has stuffed
dummies, bags (a symbol of wealth). Some people are of the view that her work
showed rude mastery of her materials and the loaded meanings. “Her presentation
is harsh yet captivating, leaving the viewers to confess their sins of
tribalism and profiling.”
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| No vacancy, acrylics on canvas, 2013 by Diseye Tantua |
In All for one, it’s believed that Fidelis Odogwu used a
small fish motif to create a cadenced wavy movement that results in a much
larger and assertive fish form. “This work testifies to Odogwu’s knowledge of
metal as a sculptural medium. Its intricacy and complexity is both profound and
captivating. Beyond its overall visual effect, this work conveys messages of
coexistence, togetherness, care and support that oppose and question the
exclusionist and anti-cosmopolitan character of the “new Lagos.”
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| The Bubble Photography, 2012 |
An Outsider’s perception of Lagos as a barren and desolate
place is captured by Aisha Dapchi in the photograph The Outsider (2012).
According to them, “here, the arid landscape functions as a metaphor for
alienation. Placing the legs of the figure outside the picture frame clearly
defines his position as an outsider. The flying keffiyeh (Moslem headscarf for
men) in this context becomes a symbol of Arabia’s stupendous oil wealth which
dwarfs that of Lagos.”
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| The bond, metal, 2013 by Fidelis Odogwu |
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