THE ROOT OF CHANGE

There is something about life, that elusive void we try to fill. It sometimes saps us of our inner resolve and strength, gearing us into frenzied state of activities to fill the empty space.lt is the root of our very existence, that constant aching for a change, a mutability from our present position. There is a lot that is wont to be desired, to be satisfied and achieved. It is the root of change, that which machines us into a constant pursuit. Human's quest for change has negotiated different paths. Socially, human interactions and psychological reactions to societal happenings effects upon daily lives. Political agitations and change over(s) births dawn of a new era or not, with the hope of a better economic and national fortune. Religiously, everyone is literally groping on his or her knees. All these underscore humans aching for change.

The Root of Change, featuring twenty-seven drawings, examines the vicissitudes and similitude of change in a bid to encourage and incite the viewer's perspective. An interesting facet of this exhibition is that it veers from direct political, social or religious inclination but symbolically intones droplets intended to stimulate the viewer's perception, thoughts and understanding of what appears before him/ her. It challenges the immediacy of first sight, and requires viewers take a step back, think twice and relate each piece as they come together to drill into the root of change. The choice of graphite on paper plays down on the distraction that colours obtain and enables viewers focus solely on the works. Whilst, some may frown at what might appear as the explicit, carnal portrayal of the genitals, this is a conscious attempt by the artist to define the bareness of our existence. Our encounters and dealings are implied by subtle intents at romance and the results of such.

One of such works that gets attention is Enjoyers. An inverted triangle, which resurfaces in a few of the drawings, looms in the horizon. Within the triangle, an eyeball opens wide as a ladder stemming from a highway crutch against it. In the foreground, on the left, a woman reaches out to kiss a bent over male. As seen in Worshippers of the Inverted Triangle, the triangle is symbolic of the female genital. Sex is a predominant norm in the society and it's not uncommon that as individuals embark on their journey, symbolized by the highway, they are wont to ascend the ladder tipped with the head of a male genital towards the eye. This is also reiterated in Worshippers of the Inverted Triangle. The inverted triangle, a figurative depiction of the lust after women stands jaunty at the middle of the work. On either sides of the inverted triangle, three men are condemned to a cross as though in punishment. Their unabashed lusting after the inverted triangle still bears on them while damned to their cross as they still look longingly towards the triangle. Big Brother Complex and Crucifixion before the Altar of the Inverted Triangle complete the series.

A tinge of comic is introduced with The Willing and Unwilling 1 & 2. Inspired by a live experience, the works border on experiences of 'the willing',-one who is in the mood,-and 'the unwilling'-one who isn't. In The Willing and Unwilling 1, a naked male on the right makes vain his attempt to cover up his nakedness and looks heavenward in supplication. The door is obviously locked and the key carelessly thrown on the ground, signifying his helplessness in the situation. On the left, the female, also naked, makes a show of tempting him with her butt. In the foreground, barren tree stems jut out seemingly to hand the female a fruit hanging from one of the stems. Her posture seems as though to reach out and pluck it, and is reminiscent of the deception of the first couple in the Garden of Eden. The background is demarcated by a snakelike movement. The snake-like depiction that cuts across the drawings in the exhibition is imagery for the uncertainties of life as it affects each individual and situations. Life is sometimes up and rosy, then down and jagged. The uncertainty simmering into The Willing and Unwilling 1, Pencil on Paper portrays the doubt that accompanies the telling of what happens behind closed doors. It is not surprising then that the artist depicts the rather innocent man in front of a dark background and the flirtatious lady in front of a somewhat light background. The Willing and Unwilling 2 comes closest to the original tale of a tenant who tries to seduce his landlady's daughter to bed but is encumbered when she suddenly clutches her bible as he tries to draw close. Here, the roles have been reversed and the lady is the seducer. She is naked and nudges the innocent man with her bare butt as though in a dance. The snake appears once again, passing through the lady's legs and past the man. Representative of the temptation passing him by? Efforts calls to mind the Bearers of Light and The Myth of Sisyphus from the Thoughts in Line exhibition. Three mountains are steeped in each other and dark balls at the foot of the mountains. An illustration of the futility of pointless activities and vanity as the two figures undertake the strenuous task of mountaineering with walking sticks. It has been said that humans are propelled into action by their various desires. Such is the power of desire, which when not controlled can result in a series of unplanned and wanton consequences. What is our desire? Desire explores this question. Objects and faces are juxtaposed across, beside and over each other. Clocks are strategically situated, coincidentally bearing almost the time. That's what is particular about desires. We all have desires that are often of great interest to us, yet the degree to which we go about achieving them often varies. For some, it could be got by a snap of the fingers, while others dilly-dally and allow what they want riddle past. The faces are also played upon. The two prominent faces on top and at the centre possess a dual appearance, probably to play on the minds of the viewer. It brings to mind the experience of looking at a framed picture from all corners of a-room and having the feeling you're been watched by the person in the picture. While the centre face lacks the missing right part unlike the face on top, its eye is drawn to present it looking straight at the viewer instead of sideways as the face is directed. The face on top looks forward but the eye looks sideways.

Desires often have consequences, positive or negative. The negative effects of desire is examined in Power of Desire 2, as a young man is nailed to an 'X' shaped cross. He is quite spent from the excruciating pain and exhaustion and cocks his head to the right. Artfully strewn cross markers give the work a deathly ambience, the illusion of a number of graves resting on the edges of the water shores. In between the cross markers and the execution site of the young man, a body of water is traversed by some canoes, -a symbolic journey of dying souls towards their creator. The dying young man is feasted upon by sperm-like creatures with female features, giving us a hint of his predicament. Flowers are beautiful and inspire hope, but in this case the sole flower on the dry stalk behind the young man is not so beautiful. She is held down by the ever-present snake-like movement snaking towards barren trees. Naked and dried out, her ribs and collarbones jut out of her skin. A victim of the deathly HIV/ AIDS scourge? Whatever her predicament, she seems to have been brought down by a sudden change eventuating from her actions. The title draws us closer to understanding her predicament. Agony and Ecstasy shadows the correlation between ecstasy and agony.

Reminiscence of the Ogoni Saga and Rumoured Death of A Dictator documents titbits of history. Picture been in the same room as General Sani Abacha on the day of his death. He is lain with his trademark dark shades and cap. He is laid on a tidied bed, oblivious of receiving the dwindling hourglass. Do you see the scale, sword, apple, gun and flag in the hands of the nymph, while the naked prostitute negotiates her bill with the smoking soldier by the closed door? He is off guard, powerless or deliberately lackadaisical to protect the life of his general. This languid attitude brought upon by greed and permeating every sector speaks with Reminiscence of the Ogoni Saga chronicling the execution of Ken Saro Wiwa, who is shown as hanging by a thread tied to the feet of a big bird. Ironically, the bird feeds a man from its beak. The man sits in an eggshell and holds out a branch towards the dead, hanging man. The branch is bare, signifying death and the eggshell has the profile of a fish and smokes from a pipe nonchalantly. The apt situation of the country where a minority are fed from the national booty in abject nonchalance of the situation of the masses. Ken Saro Wiwa clutching a book to his chest jealously even in death implies his standing up to what he believes, and is the same position many other activities have in that line. The exhibition is not complete without Tribute to a Dead Painter that calls to mind the sad incident of the ghastly auto accident of Gani Odutokun, lecturer and painter of the Zaria art school in 1995. It is safe to say that The Root of Change chronicles the subtleties and notions of change akin to man. Its symbolisms compact intense messages aimed at sparking and taunting the sub-consciousness of viewers. It is one to evoke lots of talking points, yet, in general, the idea behind the show should not be lost in sentimentalism and favouritism to an extreme. Ato's Wish sums up the thrust of the exhibition. A ladder leans behind a self-portrait of the artist on the foreground, just as the dark snakelike movement makes between both the main room and the inner room where a nude female meditates. A faint halo surrounds her head. Life may be uncertain, and its austerity, as portrayed by the nudity encompassing the drawings, might be offensive to us. However, it is only a keen mind bent on taking the time out, singling out each work against daily experiences and taking the meditative room "inside" that will easily come to terms with this exposition on life and change. Olorunfunmi Temitope Assistant Editor, Position Magazine - International Arts Review, 2015