Nestled in the heart of Nigeria, Benin City stands as a testament to the country’s vibrant arts and culture. With a history that stretches back centuries, Benin City has played a pivotal role in shaping the artistic and cultural landscape of the region. From the awe-inspiring landmarks to its dynamic festivals, Benin City offers a captivating journey through time and creativity.
In recent times, keeping pace with the number of artistic events that take place in Benin City seems like a herculean task, perhaps the reason it is referred to as Nigeria’s cultural hub.
It is in light of tapping and showcasing the rich historical tapestry of the state that one of these events was recently held at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub, which is fast gaining a reputation as a melting pot where artists and diverse creative talent frequently converge to exhibit, ruminate, brainstorm and hang out.
An exhibition of paintings and sculptures titled “UNSUNG” aimed at celebrating Nigeria’s rich and diverse culture was held at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub starting from 12 December and came to a close Friday 15 December. The event put together by the Black Passionate Art Gallery featured art collections from six art exhibitors beautifully displayed to grace the hub.
The convener of the event, Mr. Emmanuel Chidi Ubamadu, Lead Artist and Managing Director of the Black Passionate Art Gallery, in an interview with The Nigerian Observer addressed the purpose for the edition of the exhibition titled “Unsung”.
Mr. Ubamadu said the title of the exhibition, “Unsung”, shows that “there are certain things that are actually around us but one might look and not see them, except viewed closely and that is the story of our artistic heritage”.
“Conversing with an average Nigerian, most of the times you always hear complaints about hardship, inflation and things not going right. When you fixate on things that are not going right with you, you will forget about the few things that are going well and it is these good things that will turn the unpleasant things around for us, depending on what you choose to focus on,” Mr. Ubamadu said.
“Being artists, it is our job to help to point the society to the right direction through our works, because every work of art is a language. So we decide to use our works to provide succour, therapy for people. We are a people of strong culture and deep heritage that most of the times we do not realise. So every work being displayed is a celebration of our culture and our essence,” he said.
A cross section of the artworks on display showed the unique names for each piece, as most names were of tribal origin. This, Mr. Ubamadu explained, is a way of promoting African culture more and to better tell our story.
“One of the mistakes most artists make is to give their artworks English names which is a way of celebrating the Western culture. So as a Nigerian, I prefer to give my pieces African names, precisely from my own native tongue which is Igbo and I encourage artists who come to me to do the same by translating the English names to their own native tongue and that is the title I rather use,” he said.
Mr. Ubamadu further said that the event was held in a bid to promote the in-house artist that has been with them and set the pace as a catalyst for bigger engagements in 2024.
“We will do stuff in Benin City and even go beyond. One of the plans we have will involve bringing in many artists, probably close to 100 artists, and we are looking at using the main hall for the event, which is more than a 2,000-capacity hall. Somebody mentioned for the event to be like an art expo, so we are planning for the event to have up to 500 artworks on display, like paintings, sculptures, digital arts and a whole lot,” Mr. Ubamadu said.
“The event will also be multi-disciplinary; we will be bringing people from the fashion industry and other parts, so the event will be massive and we hope it can be done next year 2024,” he said.
One of the art exhibitors, Grace Oyesode, a 200 level Fine Arts student of University of Benin, had one of her artworks on display during the exhibition for the first time.
Speaking about the inspiration for her art piece on display which she titled “Motherhood”, Miss Oyesode explained that the piece depicts the role of mothers in the family, their nurturing nature and their perseverance and the sacrifices they make for their homes. She further explained that the piece is set at extolling the African mother in all her goodness.
Miss Oyesode further commended the organisers of the exhibition, appreciated the convener for the platform to showcase her works and applauded the other artists and artworks on display.
“The exhibition served as an eye opener and has provided me an avenue to learn more and interact with different artists with dynamics,” she said.
Mr. Lawani Sunday, a lecturer in the Department of Art and Industrial Design at the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, was also present at the event as an exhibitor with five artworks on display, all centred on the theme ‘Woman’.
“I discovered that women pass through a lot. Each of my artworks tells a story about the situation of women in the society,” Mr. Sunday said.
“I have also discovered that women have strength and are sometimes relegated to the background in the matrimonial home, politics and most aspects of the society. So my works tell stories about women in the society and can be seen as a satire, to relieve tension,” he said.
Mr. Patrick Chukwuma, who is among the team of the organisers, commended the state government for the platform and for being involved, always at the fore-front of promoting Edo culture and heritage and always supporting talents in the state.
“The governor was here on Tuesday, the opening day, and he liked the artworks and commended the artists and the event in general. He even said he wants to commission all the artworks himself,” he said.
Other exhibitors at the event were Sumaina Ikighide, Sharoma David, Oregimena Rex Ibhode, and Leo Esezobor.
