Persistence of Time: Examining the influence of time on artists' minds.

 

The Wait (2020), Mixed Media, Fredrick Idele.

Mathew Oyedele

On Saturday 20th of February 2021, Artpedia gallery opened to the public with an art exhibition that traces and examines the influence, significance and effect of time and happenings on artists' subconscious minds. The exhibition, titled, Persistence Of Time features six artists: Ikechukwu Ezeigwe, Fredrick Idele, Ada Godspower, Sejiro Avoseh, Elizabeth Ekpetorson and Habeeb Andu.

One is welcomed into the exhibition hallway by the striking works of Habeeb Andu whose fusion of discarded materials with canvas expresses bold socio-political themes. I was glued to his mixed media work with the title, Arrival Quarters (2018) for minutes before I could even look at other works. The work brought back the anger and pity I felt when news broke out that Africans were being sold into slavery in Lybia some years ago. The composition of the work is carefully arranged to direct the eye to the silhouetted figures, hanging invertedly at the top right as well as the chained silhouetted figure at the left foreground. The newspaper cut outs point to the agony and experiences of the figures while the loose lines that crisscrosses the entire surface contributes to the flatness of the picture plane. There are drips of colours from the figures as well as splashes of warm colours that heighten the visage of the work. Habeeb completes the composition by adding ropes to delineate that the figures are tied, a reference to the experiences of intending migrants in Lybia. His other works such as the Headline series emphasizes his boldness to document time and happenings as they are conceived in his mind.

Angry Youth V (2020), Acrylic on paper, Sejiro Avoseh.

The next hall of the exhibition space shows the works of Ada Godspower and Sejiro Avoseh. Godspower makes a strong impression on the spectator with his abstract expressionist rendition and documentation of time. In his piece, Nepotism (2020), he bears witness to the present favouritism of relationship, tribe and connection over abilities, skills and competencies that pervade the country in the aspect of appointments and employment. The result of this is the weak or low standard governance, archaic and regressive policies, dependent judiciary and weak armed forces that are prevalent in the country. His other works such as Redspot (I & II, 2020) testifies to his flexibility with motif, lines, shapes and symbols. Sejiro Avoseh's experimentation and representation of distorted faces with automobile parts and wrist watches painted with acrylic also tell stories of anger, boldness, bravery and courage in the face of oppression. Works like Angry Youth V (2020) and You Can't Mute Me (2020) attests to the bravery and anger that were witnessed in the late 2020 when Nigerian youth stood up to demand for better and progressive governance.

Standing tall despite...(2020), Acrylic and charcoal on canvas, Elizabeth Ekpetorson.

Fredrick Idele, Elizabeth Ekpetorson and Ikechukwu Ezeigwe's works filled the third section of the exhibition space. Elizabeth's loose yet calculated lines are expressive of her vibrant skill with which she tells her stories. Her use of lines sometimes get a spectator puzzled about what she is actually portraying; but beneath those lines are stories and narratives embedded in images that captures the attention of a curious spectator. In her work, titled Standing Tall Despite (2020), one is welcomed into a world of victory with loose and spontaneous lines that expresses themselves freely. Fredrick Idele tells personal stories with caricature forms which looks comical at first glance. In his piece, The Wait (2020), Idele tells his story of waiting and longing for the love of his life. The piece delineates the profile view of a figure who gazes firmly on the horizon, while the breeze blowing his hair reinforces his hope that his lover draws nearer. Fredrick continues his personal stories in Three Friends (2020) where he tells the story of himself and his friends. He sees himself as an active participant in the happenings of the society and seeks to document the times through his personal stories. Ikechukwu Ezeigwe's regular signature of attributing animal heads to human bodies completes the line-up of works that are randomly chosen to reflect the effect of time and happenings on artists' subconscious minds.