ADA DIKE
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L-R: Former President, Society of Nigerian
Artists (SNA) (1996-2001), Dr. Funke Ifeta; Chairman of the convention, Dr.
Kolade Oshinowo; Past President, SNA, Uwa
Usen and Keynote Speaker, Professor Razaq Olatunde Rom Kalilu, during the 3rd
international convention on art and development titled: ‘the Role of Art in
National Development’, held at NIIA Victoria Island in Lagos...yesterday.
Photo: Bankole Damilare
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50 years in the life a man is an age of maturity. Similarly,
if an organization clocks 50 years, the celebration should be grand, fun-filled
and extraordinary. It is on this note that members of the Society of Nigerian
Artists (SNA) rolled out drums and celebrated the society’s 50th anniversary a
couple of days ago.
The event, which kicked off on July 7, 2014 began with
Exhibition Preview followed by opening of the exhibition of which began on July
8, 2014 and will end on August2, 2014 at Omenka Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos.
With the theme: “The
Role of Art in National Development,” SNA’s third convention featured a two-day
conference that took place on July 7, and 8, 2014, at the Nigerian Institute of
International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos. SNA stakeholders at the
convention, evaluated Nigeria’s 100 years of existence through the performance
of the visual art sector and the engine of technological growth of any nation. Also,
they explored the role of the arts in causing desirable changes in society
while enabling practitioners compared favourably with their colleagues in other
sector of the economy.
In his remarks, the President of the Society of Nigerian Artists,
Mr. Oliver Enwonwu, said the 50th Anniversary of the Society of
Nigerian Artists coincides with an important period in the global appreciation
of modern and contemporary African art.
These global shifts, according to him, have been marked with
increasing prices for art from the continent on the domestic and international
art markets, the inclusion of African artists at seminal exhibitions and art
fairs and most importantly the inclusion of African art and artists in
contemporary discourse.
He hinted that the SNA commenced its 50th
Anniversary celebration last year with an educational-based initiative, “the
National Abuja Children Art Workshop,” sponsored by Mobil Nigeria Ltd. “It
aimed to lay a strong foundation for the development of contemporary Nigeria
art by encouraging children in over twenty primary and junior secondary
schools, to develop their creatively while sharing their experiences and ideas
on issues affecting their environment.”
On why the third International Convention on Art and
Development (CONADEV 2014) was held in Lagos, the director, Omenka Gallery and
founder/editor of Omenka magazine, said the event would have taken place
in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, but security was a major reason they
held it in Lagos.
He shared the history of SNA and revealed that: “In 1964,
our founding fathers’ objective was to create a new visual language that merged
indigenous traditions with Western techniques. 50 years on, you will agree with
us that the events marking this special occasion underscore the SNA’s role in
determining the direction and development of Nigeria art, while highlighting
art’s contribution to shaping society.”
He expressed profound gratitude to SNA’s members and the
event’s main sponsors comprising Dana Air, MUSON Centre, the Nigerian Institute
of International Affairs, Olaniwun Ajayi LP, CMB Building Maintenance and
Investment Company and Mobil Nigeria Ltd without which the event would not be
possible. “There is a labour of love and underscores the importance of public
and private sector partnership in the promotion and preservation of our rich
cultural heritage.”
Enwonwu however, highlighted myriads of challenges facing
SNA: “In Nigeria, there still remains
poor government funding for the visual arts including numerous endowment funds
that are given lip service, a problematic and outdated art curriculum, the
absence of a befitting National Gallery of Art to house our rich cultural heritage, the non-deployment of works by
Nigerian artisst as embellishment for public building, and not to mention, the
absurdity of a white paper that merges the National Gallery of Art with the
National Commission for Museums and Monuments!”
Concerning the on-going exhibition, he said: “The exhibition
features the work of over 70 of the most exciting contemporary Nigerian
artists, exploring new themes and visual vocabularies in their work. It is the
first in a series of shows to provoke contemporary discourse, encourage
increased engagement with topical issues, as well as the development of new
techniques and the incorporation of new material around these traditional
media, which features prominently on the Nigerian contemporary art scene,”
Enwonwu added.
Looking into the future, he itemized some of the SNA’s
future plans. “In keeping with the momentum gained from these events, more
regular workshops, roundtables and exhibitions centred in different media like
video and photography will be held across the country. Indeed, immediately
after this convention there will be a call for papers and entries for the
conference and exhibition to take place in Lagos in March 2015.”
The keynote speaker, Razak Rom Kalilu, a Professor from
the Department of Art and History, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso,
Oyo State, in his topic: “Development Challenges of 21st Century
Nigeria and the Visual Arts Sector, in a nutshell, said, visual arts had its
travails and triumphs but had no doubt made significant contributions to
national development. “The engagements of the visual arts in the previous
national development and rolling plans and the challenges and the opportunities
offered by The Transformation Agenda sets the background for the present and
future contributions of visual Arts sector to Nigeria’s development.”
Presenting the lead paper, Professor Frank Ugiomoh from
the Department of Art and Applied Design, University of Port Harcourt, Choba,
Port Harcourt, in his topic, “Reconceptualising the Value of Art in a
Developing Economy,” said through
the ages, the work of art has remained an indicator of the progress of
civilization, yet the work of art remains one of the least valued engagements
of human industry.
In his words: “The work of art defines who we are. It also
points us to where we look forwards to. This complex nature of art, considering
the fortunes and misfortunes of the object of art has been subjected to and
among various cultures, will always require that artists do more than they have
always done to find a comfortable place for art in human consciousness. It is
not as if the above need for art has ever been abandoned by artists, critics,
historians, philosophers, sociologists and so on,” Ugiomoh said.
He notes that, “art has remained a subject of great despise
as much as the artist has been in many climes. Many conceive of the artist as
one who is extraordinary in his or her personality and endowments. The artist
is not one with his or her fellow humans; the artist is simply seen as one who
lives in his own world and not in sync with anyone. But do we have cause to
blame the rest of humanity? The Marxist critic tells us that early works of art
stood out distinctly as magical objects in human societies. This exalted
position of the artist and art was borne out of the fact that the usefulness of
the work of art in the community made the work of art and its maker an enigma.
What nature could not offer a mere object of human hands accomplishes for the
human. Thus the work of art and its maker become awesome,” Ugiomoh said.
Ugiomoh stressed the importance of taking art to its proper
place. “Lansing stresses the need to reposition art in the consciousness of the
general populace. His advocacy is hinged on the need to demonstrate, as the
need arises always, the value of art for the individual and society. As he puts
it “Since the time of Plato, scholars have attempted to explain its merit in
philosophical terms, but their explanation have been difficult for most persons
outside philosophy to understand. As a result, many people do not accept art as
an important element in their lives or in the general education of their
children. If they permit it to be taught in public schools, they allow it to
play no more than a minor and relatively unimportant educational role.”
“The above observation, though defined for the United States
of America over almost half a century now is akin to what the general education
of the Nigerian child is confronting today. Equally we ought to notice that the
tribe of art appreciators and connoisseurs is less than one percent in Nigeria.
This realization goes in recognition of the fact that the teaching of art in
the curriculum almost debuted with the introduction of formal education in the
19th centuries in Nigeria.
How to turn the table around evidently is the reason for
this initiative of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA).
Ugiomoh also argued that the work of art is the human’s
perception of the world, as it is also the remnant of humanity as often as
cultures and civilizations continue to undergo renewal. “Art transforms time in
its fleeting and relentless flow symbols that come to outlive the time they
were enacted. Art remains, as a matter of fact, an inestimable record of human
history and of human perception of self, its nature and the inter-subjective relationship.
It elicits are such that it binds humanity together. Art is one human
engagement that engenders knowledge of self and of others. As a universal
language it is a facilitator of knowledge in the general sense of the word.
“Where this is the case the context and polemic that trail
the education of artists in Nigeria remains a source of worry. This is not only
for me, but to well meaning artists and educationists. More importantly the
Society of Nigerian Artists should be saddled with this worry. Institution
train men and women with potentials top become artist in Nigeria who eventually
practice their trade under the umbrella of the Society of Nigeria Artists
(SNA). The SNA therefore, should be at the forefront in making sure that its
potential members are properly trained. The SNA should be part of the
definition of the standards for the education of the artist. In its more than
fifty years of existence its influence in directing the education of its
members remains non-existent. The SNA probably live with the assumption that
its members are also the teacher in educational institutions.
“Considering the value of art, the education of the artist
requires guided intervention from the SNA. Art education is expected to hike
the awareness and practice of the creative arts. This has not been the case in
recent times. Rather, accomplished creative output in recent history has been
waning.”
He further said that in spite of the perceptions in the
United Kingdom and the Americas, it is important to note that they make
provision for professional artists to teach in their institutions. “The
initiative allows for the students to gain experience from professional and
anticipate being professionals also. It is important that the artist trained in
Nigeria. Considering the value of art to culture and the developmental
aspiration of Nigeria, should be given the right professional training.”
As expected, the convention attracted visual art icons, including: renowned
Professor and polymath artist, the keynote speaker, Prof. Razak Rom Kalilu,
Prof John Ogene from the Department of Art and Applied Arts, University of
Benin, Edo State, Past President, SNA, Uwa Usen, Dr. Funke Ifeta from
Department of Creative Arts, Tai Solarin Unversity of Education, Ijebu Ode,
Ogun State, Dr. Kunle Filani from Federal College of Education, Akoka, Lagos,
Past President of SNA; Dr. Kolade Oshinowo,
artwork collector and founder of Omooba Yemisi Shyllon Art Foundation, (OYASAF); Prince Yimisi Shyllon, former minister of National Planning and chairman, Petroleum
Product Pricing and Regulatory Agency; Chief Rasheed Abiodun Gbadamosi, among
others.
Despite the fact that Art is visual art depicts aesthetic
and finesse, it is appreciated mostly by mature minds in Nigeria, it is
shocking to see that a lot of people did not turn up for the SNA’s 50th
anniversary celebration. One expected the hall to be filled to the brim but
only few dedicated members of the group comprising sculptors, painters, critics
and those in the academia. Representatives from the federal and state
government were missing in the international convention. This, according to a
critic who craved anonymity, shows that Nigerian government (including federal,
state and local governments) do not support visual artists. “If it were a programme
organized by the tourism or entertainment industry (Nollywood), people will
attend or send representative to all the events.”
Also, an award and fundraising dinner held on Wednesday,
July 9, 2014, at the Shell Hall MUSON Centre, Lagos featured the induction of
new members, cultural performances, an auction, the award of prizes and
fellowships to outstanding artists, individuals and corporate, who have
contributed towards the development of art in Nigeria. The gathering also
provided an atmosphere for social interaction between the artists and other
professionals.
The founder, executive director and trustee of The Ben
Enwonwu Foundation hinted that:
“Funds raised from the event would aid the execution of the SNA’s major
projects which include the publishing of its four quarterly academic journals
and provision of a well-equipped secretariat with a gallery, library and studio
space for artists.”
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