The Pathfinder Paradox: Historicizing African Art Within Global Modernity
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Visual Art Appreciation in Nigeria: the Zaria Art Society Experience
Mgbakoigba, Journal of African Studies. Vol.6 No.2. February 2017 VISUAL ART APPRECIATION IN NIGERIA: THE ZARIA ART SOCIETY EXPERIENCE Chinyere Ndubuisi Department of Fine Art, Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria [email protected] 0802 3434372 Abstract There is no doubt that one of the greatest creative impetuses injected into Nigerian art was made possible by, among other things, the activities of the first art institution in Nigeria to award a Diploma certificate in art, Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology (NCAST). NCAST started in 1953/54 at their Ibadan branch but they could not rationalize their art programme ab initio but organized art exhibition to raise the public awareness of the programme. In September 1955 the art programme became a full department and relocated to their permanent site at Zaria, in northern Nigeria, with 16 students. This paper focuses on NCAST impact on modern Nigerian art and the gradual, but steady, growth of other art activities in Nigeria since NCAST. The paper also discusses the emergence of an art society from NCAST, known as Zaria Art Society and the extension of the philosophy of the Art Society into the church by one of its member, Bruce Onobrakpeya, who represented most of his Christian images in traditional Urhobo style as against the popular western style. The paper argues that Nigeria has a rich art and diverse culture which existed long before the colonial reign and thus encouraged the efforts of the Zaria Art Society in re-appropriating local forms and motifs in their modern art by way of an ideology known as 'Natural synthesis.' Introduction The argument may be how one can define 'culture' in the context of the diverse ethnic groups that populate present-day Nigeria. -
Of Gerald Chukwuma: a Critical Analysis
arts Article Visual Language and ‘Paintaglios’ of Gerald Chukwuma: A Critical Analysis Trevor Vermont Morgan, Chukwuemeka Nwigwe and Chukwunonso Uzoagba * Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (400241), Nigeria; [email protected] (T.V.M.); [email protected] (C.N.); [email protected] (C.U.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +234-806-444-0984 Academic Editor: Annetta Alexandridis Received: 23 September 2016; Accepted: 28 April 2017; Published: 24 May 2017 Abstract: Gerald Chukwuma is a prolific Nigerian artist whose creative adaptation and use of media tend to deviate from common practice. This essay draws on his several avant-garde works on display at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Library and at the administrative building of the University of Nigeria Nsukka. These artworks are referred to as ‘paintaglio’ in this essay owing to the convergence of painting, and engraving (or intaglio) processes. This study therefore identifies, critically interprets and analyzes Chukwuma’s artistic inclinations—style, spirit, forms, materials, and techniques. This is in order to lay bare the formal and conceptual properties that foreground the artist’s recent paintaglio experiments. The study relies on personal interviews, literature, and images of Chukwuma’s works as data. Such experimental works which clearly express influences of ‘natural synthesis’ ideology are here examined against the backdrop of their epistemic themes. Keywords: paintaglio; experimental art; self-discovery; creative; visual; uli; Nsukka School 1. Introduction Nigerian artist Chike Aniakor’s view of creativity as “the wandering of human spirit from one level of experience to another,” until it has secured a desired venting point lends credence to Dante Rossetti’s understanding that fundamental brainwork makes art unique (Aniakor 1987, p. -
Ethnic Traditions, Contemporary Nigerian Art and Group Identity
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by International Institute for Science, Technology and Education (IISTE): E-Journals Arts and Design Studies www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-6061 (Paper) ISSN 2225-059X (Online) Vol.47, 2016 Ethnic Traditions, Contemporary Nigerian Art and Group Identity Dr. Samuel Onwuakpa Department of Fine Arts and Design, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria Dr. Efe Ononeme Department of Fine and Applied Arts University of Benin , Edo State Nigeria Introduction Contemporary Nigerian artists like their counterparts in different parts of Africa have drawn some of their inspirations from traditional art and life and in so doing they have not only contributed to the creation of an amalgamated national identity, but also continue to give art tradition a lifeline. The creative and visual talents noticed among many Nigerians artists no doubt is an indication that they have responded to the dynamics of change and continuity within the frame-work of indigenous art and culture. Generally, but not exclusive, Igbo and Yoruba cultures are characterized by strong art traditions and a rich art vocabulary from which some contemporary artists drew from. Thus it is no surprise that it has enriched their creativity. As the artists draw from Igbo and Yoruba cultures for identity, there is continuity not a break with the past. Among other things, this study focuses on the contemporary artists who study and adapt forms, decorative motifs and symbols taken from indigenous arts and craft of the Yoruba Ona and Igbo Uli for use in their works. -
Izibongo Issue 60
IZIBONGO Celebrating Art in Africa and the Diaspora Issue 60 - 2018 Saluting Ben Enwonwu including review of Ben Enwonwu: The Making Of An African Modernist by Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie Natty Mark Samuels Editorial Every public figure, especially a pioneering one, will have their detractors; so it was with Ben Enwonwu. But what is undeniable, is his massive contribution to Modern Art - and the mastery of the materials he used. I pay homage to this truly trailblazing figure, in Saluting Ben Enwonwu, which is a revised version of a previous work, entitled Song for Ben Enwonwu. Revised, in that a few verses have been added and words and sentences here and there, have been changed. This issue also includes The Necessary Song, my review of Ben Enwonwu: The Making Of An African Modernist, by Professor Ogbechie. Here's what the featured artist says about Anyanwu, one of his great offerings in bronze... “My aim was to symbolise our rising nation. I have tried to combine material, crafts and traditions, to express a conception that is based on womanhood – woman, the mother and nourisher of man. “In our rising nation, I see the forces embodied in womanhood; the beginning, and then, the development and flowering into the fullest stature of a nation – a people! “This sculpture is spiritual in conception, rhythmical in movement and three dimensional in its architectural setting – these qualities are characteristic of the sculptures of my ancestors.” From Nigeria, I am happy to present to you, BEN ENWONWU. Editor – Natty Mark Samuels – africanschool.weebly.com – An African School Production Saluting Ben Enwonwu©Natty Mark Samuels, 2018. -
Afro Modern: Journeys Through the Black Atlantic Tate Liverpool Educators’ Pack Introduction
Afro Modern: Journeys through the Black Atlantic Tate Liverpool Educators’ Pack Introduction Paul Gilroy’s The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness (Verso: London, 1993) identifies a hybrid culture that connects the continents of Africa, the Americas and Europe. Inspired by Gilroy’s seminal book, this major exhibition at Tate Liverpool examines the impact of Black Atlantic culture on modernism and the role of black artists and writers from the beginning of the twentieth-century to present day. Divided into seven chronological chapters, the exhibition takes as its starting point the influences of African sculpture on artists such as Picasso and Brancusi in the evolution of Cubism and Abstract art. The journey continues across the Atlantic tracking the impact of European modernism on emerging African- American Artists, such as the Harlem Renaissance group. It traces the emergence of modernism in Latin America and Africa and returns to Europe at the height of the jazz age and the craze for “Negrophilia”. It follows the transatlantic commuting of artists between continents and maps out the visual and cultural hybridity that has arisen in contemporary art made by people of African descent. The final section examines current debates around “Post-Black Art” with contemporary artists such as Chris Ofili and Kara Walker. This pack is designed to support educators in the planning, execution and following up to a visit to Tate Liverpool. It is intended as an introduction to the exhibition with a collection of ideas, workshops and points for discussion. The activities are suitable for all ages and can be adapted to your needs. -
Rethinking, Re-Theorising the Concept of Modernism in Painting and Its After-Effect on African Contemporary Art Discourse
Mgbakoigba, Journal of African Studies. Vol.5 No.2. June 2016 RETHINKING, RE-THEORISING THE CONCEPT OF MODERNISM IN PAINTING AND ITS AFTER-EFFECT ON AFRICAN CONTEMPORARY ART DISCOURSE Ikemefula Emmanuel Irokanulo Department of Fine Arts Yaba College of Technology, Yaba Lagos State Nigeria [email protected] +2348034267433 and Amaka Nwosu Department of Industrial Design Yaba College of Technology Abstract This paper explores both the European and African concepts of Modernism and its modernity in painting. The idea is to re-examine and re-theorise the understanding of this concept with a view to finding out its true import and impact on the contemporary art scene, especially that of Africa. The works of two African artists are reviewed and discussed excluding the painting of Paul Cezanne which has birthed this argument. Finally one of the authors introduces his own paintings to help buttress their position and the theorisation of personal understanding of Modernism in painting culture. The paper concludes by advancing a re-theorisation and understanding of the concept of modernism in Africa, so that a new understanding could be realised in developing new awareness of what Modernism stands for within contemporary African art discourse. Key words: Modernism, Contemporary art Discourse, Paul Cezanne, Re-theorise, Re- thinking Background to the Study According to Irokanulo (2014), the basic characteristic of the European modern period was its emphasis on science and technological advancement because of the industrial revolution sweeping across Europe in the nineteenth century. It was also a period of theoretical assertions. Gardner (2005) advances that most of the developments in the sciences and social sciences have their roots in this period. -
Weathering the Storm: Ben Enwonwu’S Biafrascapes and the Crisis in the Nigerian Postcolony
Weathering the storm: Ben Enwonwu's Biafrascapes and the crisis in the Nigerian postcolony Article (Published Version) Lecznar, Matthew (2018) Weathering the storm: Ben Enwonwu’s Biafrascapes and the crisis in the Nigerian postcolony. Tate Papers, 30. ISSN 1753-9854 This version is available from Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/79781/ This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies and may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher’s version. Please see the URL above for details on accessing the published version. Copyright and reuse: Sussex Research Online is a digital repository of the research output of the University. Copyright and all moral rights to the version of the paper presented here belong to the individual author(s) and/or other copyright owners. To the extent reasonable and practicable, the material made available in SRO has been checked for eligibility before being made available. Copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided that the authors, title and full bibliographic details are credited, a hyperlink and/or URL is given for the original metadata page and the content is not changed in any way. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk Research Publications Tate Papers Tate Papers no.30 Weathering the Storm: Ben Enwo… TATE PAPERS Weathering the Storm: Ben Enwonwu’s Biafrascapes and the Crisis in the Nigerian Postcolony MATTHEW LECZNAR This article appraises Nigerian artist Ben Enwonwu’s contribution to postcolonial modernism in Nigeria through an analysis of his artistic responses to the Nigeria-Biafra war (1967–70). -
Continuity and Change in Nsukka Art George Odoh’S Illustration of Things Fall Apart
Continuity and Change in Nsukka Art George Odoh’s Illustration of Things Fall Apart Chinedu Ene-Orji all images by George Odoh, reproduced with permission Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-pdf/52/3/48/1814033/afar_a_00481.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 he uli revivalist initiative, pioneered by Uche were employed later. Beyond this crop of artists and teachers, the Okeke in Nsukka in 1970, flourished for about practice of uli developed a transgenerational impetus among their four decades. This idea reached its peak in 1997 students and other artists who were trained in nearby institutions. when it was celebrated internationally in an ex- Drawing took on a life of its own as an autonomous mode and hibition, The Poetics of Line curated by Simon many inventive compositions resulted; artists developed recog- Ottenberg, at the National Museum of African nizably distinct styles. Art from Nsukka was at the cutting edge Art at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. Ottenberg of the Nigerian and African creative complex. Beyond aesthetics, alsoT wrote an authoritative book about the origin and praxis of the Nsukka’s uli revivalism took on a thrust of social commitment. Uli uli artistic initiative, New Traditions from Nigeria: Seven Artists of revivalist aesthetics is on the ebb today; its motifs no longer domi- the Nsukka Group.1 Beyond this exhibition and publication and nate the Nsukka creative space, but its design concepts persist. The others that precede and postdate them, the spirit of uli has not died creative firmament in Nigeria has broadened and deepened, with completely. -
Kubatana – When African Art Illuminates Norway
Latest: Tickle Your Taste Buds with Africa’s Culinary Wealth Africa, The home of the Black Panther The African free-trade zone comes into effect Ghana robotic team wins World Robofest Championship Kubatana – when African art illuminates Norway $ BUSINESS ∠ ECONOMY ∠ LIFESTYLE ∠ MUSIC ∠ SPORT MOVIES VIDEOS LOG IN OTHER ∠ FRANÇAIS & Culture Inspirations Kubatana – when African art illuminates Norway ! July 21, 2019 " Christelle Kamanan # African artists, Art, contemporary art, exhibition Recommend Like Share Tweet ubatana or friendliness in Shona language (Zimbabwe). This exhibition highlights the work of 33 African artists in a warm and aesthetic way. All works are visible until 21 September 2019 at the K Kunstlabotorium in Vestfossen, Norway. Yassine Balbzioui – photo C.K. Gonçalo Mabunda – photo C.K. Aboudia – photo C.K. Serge Attukwei Clottey – photo C.K. Kubatana, showcase of African contemporary art English speaking Africa African contemporary art; what does it look like? The monumental installation of the Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey announces the color, even before entering the Kunstlaboratorium. Starting from his origins, his family history related to the sea and the migration, he made a work of several meters. Like a marine net, the installation covers a large part of the front façade of the building. All these small tiles, made from water can, are in the image of contemporary African art: colorful, flamboyant and imposing. Francophone Africa & Arabic There is also the imposing 10-meter mural by Yassine Balbzioui (Morocco). You feel very small near such an achievement; as against the immensity of the possibilities of art. Aboudia (Ivory Coast) surprises and questions with a painting of human relations in our time. -
Contemporary Africa Arts
CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ARTS MAPPING PERCEPTIONS, INSIGHTS AND UK-AFRICA COLLABORATIONS 2 CONTENTS 1. Key Findings 4 2. Foreword 6 3. Introduction 8 4. Acknowledgements 11 5. Methodology 12 6. What is contemporary African arts and culture? 14 7. How do UK audiences engage? 16 8. Essay: Old Routes, New Pathways 22 9. Case Studies: Africa Writes & Film Africa 25 10. Mapping Festivals - Africa 28 11. Mapping Festivals - UK 30 12. Essay: Contemporary Festivals in Senegal 32 13. What makes a successful collaboration? 38 14. Programming Best Practice 40 15. Essay: How to Water a Concrete Rose 42 16. Interviews 48 17. Resources 99 Cover: Africa Nouveau - Nairobi, Kenya. Credit: Wanjira Gateri. This page: Nyege Nyege Festival - Jinja, Uganda. Credit: Papashotit, commissioned by East Africa Arts. 3 1/ KEY FINDINGS We conducted surveys to find out about people’s perceptions and knowledge of contemporary African arts and culture, how they currently engage and what prevents them from engaging. The first poll was conducted by YouGov through their daily online Omnibus survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults. The second (referred to as Audience Poll) was conducted by us through an online campaign and included 308 adults, mostly London-based and from the African diaspora. The general British public has limited knowledge and awareness of contemporary African arts and culture. Evidence from YouGov & Audience Polls Conclusions Only 13% of YouGov respondents and 60% of There is a huge opportunity to programme a much Audience respondents could name a specific wider range of contemporary African arts and example of contemporary African arts and culture, culture in the UK, deepening the British public’s which aligned with the stated definition. -
Chinua Achebe's Short Stories As a Periscope to Igbo Worldview
i CHINUA ACHEBE’S SHORT STORIES AS A PERISCOPE TO IGBO WORLDVIEW BY OGBAJE, JUDITH UNEKWUOJO REG. NO: PG/MA/12/62502 A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND LITERARY STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF ARTS (M. A.) DEGREE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND LITERARY STUDIES FACULTY OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA SUPERVISOR: PROF. EZUGU, AMADIHE JUNE, 2014 ii APPROVAL/CERTIFICATION This Project has been read and approved as meeting part of the requirements for the award of Master of Arts (M.A.) Degree in the Department of English and Literary Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Ogbaje, Judith Unekwuojo a post-graduate students of the department with the registration number PG/MA/12/62502 has satisfactorily completed the requirements for the course and research work for the award of Master of Arts (M. A.) Degree. This project to the best of my knowledge has not been submitted to any award giving institution on any grounds. _________________ ___________ ________________ ________ Prof. Ezugu, Amadihe Date Prof. Opata, Damian Date Supervisor Head of Department ______________________ ______________ External Examiner Date iii DEDICATION To my late sister, Pat, who was my mother and guardian. I miss you. May your soul continue to rest in peace. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe God Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth and giver of life a great debt of gratitude for His constant and consistent love and mercy upon me even when I remain inconsistent and for divine strength and grace that has brought me this far. -
Visuality and Representation in Traditional Igbo Uli Body And
345 AFRREV, 10 (2), S/NO 41, APRIL, 2016 An International Multi-disciplinary Journal, Ethiopia Vol. 10(2), Serial No.41, April, 2016: 345-357 ISSN 1994-9057 (Print) ISSN 2070-0083 (Online) Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/afrrev.v10i2.23 Visuality and Representation in Traditional Igbo Uli Body and Mud Wall Paintings Onwuakpa, Samuel Department of Fine Art and Design University of Port Harcourt, River State, Nigeria Email: [email protected] Phone: 08028871838 Abstract Igbo uli art is a popular creative idiom in south-eastern Nigeria. It is a serves as decorative, ritual and cosmetic art. It does not exhibit any paradox because it has been considered as art that is aesthetically pleasing. Uli art is practiced purely by the womenfolk on human body and mud wall and based on linear configurations. The intention of uli painting is not to create an illusionistic representation of reality. However, it is dependent on both conceptual and perceptual, which results in abstract and non- figurative representations. Uli women painters have produced a voluminous body of work widely distributed throughout Igbo land. However, there is a dearth of uli body and mud wall paintings or decorations as well as their processes of execution as women community art project literature on the corpus of uli art, hence it requires a continuous investigation and scrutiny. This essay therefore provides an insight into the nature and social contest of uli body and mud wall paintings or decorations as well as their processes of execution as women community art project. Introduction Traditional art, according to Kaego Okeke (2002:1), is the chain linking the past with the present.