Lemi Ghariokwu has his own kind of art

ADA DIKE

Ghariokwu

As a creative artist and singer, his life revolves around art. Lemi Ghariokwu, famed for designing most of the Late Afrobeat maestro, Fela Kuti’s albums, has been in arts business for over 40 years.

He believes in predestination. “I was born into art. It was not by accident. I discovered my talent early in life and I harnessed it even when I did not know that I was harnessing it,” says Ghariokwu.

His father wanted him to be a mechanical engineer,  that is why he attended a technical school - Yaba College of Technology Secondary School, where he studied technical and science subjects. “I was not a dull student. But art took over because I kept drawing till destiny called and I met Late Fela Anikulapo Kuti in 1974, that is 40 years ago. Eventually, for almost three decades, I did album cover for Fela’s music. In total, I did 24 album covers for him out of 50 albums Fela released all his life. But the significant thing is that they formed a movement for music and art. So it became a package and a brand. Globally, when people talk about Afrobeat music, they talk about art in extension, so I get to shine.”

Conceptualising a particular artwork he wants to draw is easy for Lemi “Because it is within. I have gone through the gamut of art in my life; I started as a portrait artist. Eventually, I learnt graphics. For survival strategy, I did van display when it was not done digitally. There was a time I was doing billboard before Lagos State came and took it. I did backdrop for many shows. I was doing the works by hand without flex and it could take two weeks or more for me to finish it. I would hire about eight people to assist me in painting and other works. It used to be tedious because we would create the concept, trace the drawing before we do transfer. Now we are in a digital age. I bought my first computer in 1992 and used it to learn how to use Corel draw. That is an advantage. I am not just a painter; I can do graphics and use that to embellish my work in order to be abreast of the time because art is also a fashion which changes often. That is how I survive with it after 40 years I have been doing it. I did my first album cover in 1972 before I met Fela. So, I am still relevant in my profession after 40 years. I called my works Afro Pop now,” he explained.

Explaining why he chose “Arts Own Kind” as his slogan, he said he chose it because he has been an artist all his life. “I am an easy going person who doesn’t take things seriously.  I see myself as a kind of an artist that is why I use “Arts Own Kind” as my slogan.”

Having spent 40 years in his career, he is not keen on ensuring that his children follow his step because he said he is a very liberal person.  “I believe in destiny. I look at the flair my children have and what they can do. So I am totally supportive of anything they want to do. I have four children. My first daughter, 28, is in Italy right now taking a fashion course. She left university five years ago and did some works somewhere but told me that she loved fashion, that is a gift. I don’t influence my children. But they must have art in them, in one way or the other because it is in the gene. Fashion is part of art. My second daughter, 26, is a born again Christian in a church where she leads about 90 people in a dance group. She teaches Dance in Grange Schools. My third child, 22, is a boy. He studied a short course on Video Special Effect in London, United Kingdom. He returned from India two years ago, where he went to do Film and Television programme. He works in an advert company in Ikeja, Lagos.

My fourth child is a small boy of 11 years old going to 12 years. He knows how to play piano and can dance break dance very well. Sometimes, he says he wants to be a pastor because he follows his mother to church on frequent basis. I told him when he grows, he will decide on what to do. I am not a Christian or a Muslim or a pagan. I don’t pray like religious people. I meditate. Do you know what is called positive thinking or law of attraction? He queried.

Ghariokwu would have been a musician. He has about 400 songs he has not released. He hinted that: “I wish I have time; I would go to produce them because I love music. I may not sing now but I have lyrics that I could teach people to sing and be their producer.

“I recorded an album in 1996 but it has never been released till today. Concerning ‘Omolakeji,’ a song I did with a Nigerian artiste in late 1990s, Daniel Wilson titled ‘Omolakeji’ ,  Wilson had an album and had just moved from Port Harcourt to Lagos so he implored me to do it as duets with him to enable him have fans among the Yorubas and I agreed.  We also did the video and toured some states in Nigeria.

Branding and rebranding is very important. Lemi has continued to rebrand his works on regular basis.

“My exhibition had three segments before the drawings. He has done many solo and group exhibition within and outside Nigeria. The small size works (drawing) are called Vintage Lemi. That is how his works looked like in the 1970s. He used to draw and paint with poster colour. But as time passed by, digital age came, with people doing a lot on social media; they don’t have much time to focus on something. If you have anything, you have to show it quickly so he now does his work to blend colours, digitally. His brand is about 40 years and still appealing to people from all walks of life.