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JOY: Recent Works by the GFA

Past viewing_room
October 2 - November 17, 2023
Ben Ibebe, Joy (I), Acrylic on canvas, 45 x 45 in, 2023
Ben Ibebe, Joy (I), Acrylic on canvas, 45 x 45 in, 2023
SMO Contemporary Art is pleased to present 'Joy', an exhibition of recent works by 21 established artists from the Guild of Professional Artists of Nigeria - Abiodun Olaku, Abiodun Olaku, Abraham Uyovbisere, Ade Ogundimu, Aimufia Osagie, Alex Nwokolo, Ben Ibebe, Bunmi Babatunde, Diseye Tantua, Duke Asidere, Edosa Ogiugo, Emenike Ogwo, Fidelis Odogwu, Gbenga Offo, George Edozie, Gerry Nnubia, Joshua Nmesirionye, Kehinde Adewuyi, Norbert Okpu, Sam Ebohon, Tayo Quaye, Tola Wewe.
  • Exhibition Catalogue
  • JOY

  • This exhibition takes viewers on a captivating journey through a multitude of themes, including environmental concerns, the state of our nation, cultural commentary, and tradition. The works featured here are a testament to the joy that arises from the artistic process, a joy that is both valuable and hard-earned along the often solitary path of creativity.

     

    Through events, workshops, studio internships, and apprenticeships, these artists have taught and mentored generations of younger artists.  They have exhibited their works in Nigeria and abroad, and have collectively made huge sacrifices and contributions to the development and growth of contemporary art in Africa.

     

    We invite you to immerse yourself in the world of these accomplished artists from the GFA, and we trust that their work will not only bring you joy but also foster a greater appreciation for this indispensable generation of artists, who have served as the cornerstone for many of today's Nigerian contemporary artists.



  • Gerry Nnubia, Time is Now, 2023
    Artworks

    Gerry Nnubia

    Time is Now, 2023

    In Gerry Nubia’s The Time is Now and Light House, we see groups of people holding up candles to an all encompassing, suffocating darkness. Their heads are wrist watches, and the time is ticking. Whether it is metaphysical, metaphorical or political, these paintings touch the very raw nerve of our disillusioned polity.

     

    Duke Asidere’s prophetic Pure Greed and The Death of Truth are dark abstract reflections of the fog which has descended on us. Diseye Tantua’s afro-pop works tackle our national issues with street slang and humour, but through his satirical slogans, such as “shit money no dey smell”, rubs salt into our nation’s wounds.

     

    Tayo Quaye’s painting depicts a clown holding a staff of office in one hand, while embracing a masquerade with the other, in full view a crowd of onlookers in the background. His Masquerade and the Clown painting is a masterful reaction to the theatrics we see in the political arena daily, not just in Nigeria but around the world.

  • Gerry Nnubia, Light House, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Duke Asidere, Pure Greed, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Duke Asidere, The Death of Truth, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Diseye Tantua, No Wahala, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Diseye Tantua, Delay is Dangerous, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Diseye Tantua, Experience is the Best Teacher, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Tayo Quaye, The Masquerade and the Clown, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Kenny Adewuyi, Victim of Circumstance, 2002 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Kenny Adewuyi, Affection, 1993 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Kenny Adewuyi, Come to aid, 2002 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Gerry Nnubia, Light House, 2023
  • Emenike Ogwo, Flooded Area, 2023
    Artworks

    Emenike Ogwo

    Flooded Area, 2023
    Another thematic being tackled in the Joy exhibition works is a commentary on the environment, where the effects of desertification and flooding wreak havoc on rural communities.  In the heavy impasto works by Emenike Ogwo, he depicts Fulani herdsmen boldly grazing their migratory flocks by forging unnatural pathways through densely populated areas.  In Flooded Area, we see shadows of desperate people seeking refuge on overcrowded canoes, while the smoke rises over a flooded landscape. Both works touch on the insecurity and misery suffered by vulnerable populations in Nigeria, Libya and across the continent, experiencing devastating environmental death and insecurity due to extreme weather.
  • Gbenga Offo, Two Reclining Figures, 2023
    Artworks

    Gbenga Offo

    Two Reclining Figures, 2023
    Joy also reinforces and reminds us of the basics of a life within urban and rural communities, rising out of the love, comfort and safety of family relationships. We see intertwined lovers finding solace in each other’s embrace in Gbenga Offo’s Two Reclining Figures, powerful portraits presented in his signature cubist style; in the painting The Quartet, Offo reminds us of the famous Shakespeare’s quote from Twelfth Night, “If music be the food of love, play on; give me excess of it” as his musicians represent the solace, melancholy and joy we experience through music.
     
    Aimufia Osagie traces scenes of family life from “Conjugal Bliss” right through to the birth of children and a mother’s love. Even though there is a large concentration of female figuration in these works of art, the GFA sadly has no female artist’s represented which is a gaping weakness in the guild’s membership that needs to be urgently corrected.
  • Gbenga Offo, Two Reclining Figures, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Aimufia Osagie, Conjugal Bliss, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Aimufia Osagie, Beyond Phillia, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Aimufia Osagie, Ayomide (My Joy has Arrived), 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Gbenga Offo, Two Reclining Figures, 2023
  • Fidelis Odogwu, The Bride, 2022

    Fidelis Odogwu

    The Bride, 2022

    Sculptures by Fidelis Odogwu and Bunmi Babatunde alongside the single and group portraits by Abraham Uyovbisere, Tola Wewe and Edosa Oguigo, depict women from a decidedly classical African male gaze. Women are typically celebrated as cultural symbols and within traditional ceremonies such as in George Edozie and Norbert Okpu’s depiction of the “ogolo” or Ekombi masquerades, known for their female characteristics.

  • Fidelis Odogwu, The Bride, 2022 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Bunmi Babatunde, Omo Oge, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Tola Wewe, Deep in my childhood, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Tola Wewe, Reflection, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Edosa Oguigo, After Hours, 2019/2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Edosa Oguigo, Joy I, 2019/2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Edosa Oguigo, Joy II, 2019/2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    George Edozie, Praying Girl 3, 2020 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    George Edozie, Praying Gilr 4, 2020 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    George Edozie, Praying Girl 5, 2020 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Nobert Okpu, Celebration, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Nobert Okpu, Pleasant Memories, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Fidelis Odogwu, The Bride, 2022
  • Alex Nwokolo, Fragmented Thoughts, 2023
    Artworks

    Alex Nwokolo

    Fragmented Thoughts, 2023
    The exhibition also presents strong male portraits, such as Alex Nwokolo’s mixed media Fragmented Thoughts from his rich series of intense, brooding male faces. Sam Ebohon’s blurred portraits, Finding Balance and A Man Must Hold His, are powerful works in which he layers his faces with submerged and partly faded text.
  • Fidelis Odogwu, The Visionary, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Sam Ebohon, Finding Balance, 2022 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Sam Ebohon, A Man Must Hold His, 2022 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Fidelis Odogwu, The Visionary, 2023
  • Abiodun Olaku, Lunar Simphony (Story of Makoko), 2023
    Artworks

    Abiodun Olaku

    Lunar Simphony (Story of Makoko), 2023
    The final cluster of landscapes highlight the city at dusk, as depicted in Abiodun Olakun’s signature style, depicting a densely populated urban slum, Makoko, an impoverished city on stilts, surrounded by the polluted water of the Lagos mega-city, shimmering in the evening twilight, while a mist of burning fire rises on the horizon. Josh Nmesirionye’s unusual new Galactic Euphoria body of abstract paintings, and Ade Ogundimu, blue Moonlight painting in blue, his response to Jackson Pollock, both draw our perspective heavenward, exploring the wonder and vastness of the creative universe.
  • Ade Ogundimu, Moonlight (Response to Jason Pollock), 2021/2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Josh Nmesirionye, Galactic Euphoria, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Josh Nmesirionye, Galactic Euphoria II, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Ade Ogundimu, Moonlight (Response to Jason Pollock), 2021/2023
  • Ben Ibebe, Joy I, 2023
    Artworks

    Ben Ibebe

    Joy I, 2023
    Ben Ibebe’s two paintings, Joy I & II, exude exactly the right spirit and vibrancy, depicting a host of people lifting their hands heavenward in joyful exuberance. The color and intensity of the outstretched arms and hands crisscrossing his canvas reinforces the strength in numbers that the 21 GFA artists who have worked together for years represent.
  • We hope you enjoy these recent works by the GFA, and trust that it creates some space and appreciation for an important generation of artists who have been a vital generational bedrock for many of the young Nigerian contemporary artists
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