Onobrakpeya’s Abananya
As Metaphor for Change
As Metaphor for Change
The gathering was a moderate size of collectors, artists and enthusiasts. The stories of change by the legendary artist, Prof Onobrakpeya, which are depicted in Aba na nya series, a metaphor for change, were unique. The guest artist, in a white native attire and a black cap, arrived at the venue few minutes before the start of the event. As he took his seat in front of the audience, he was welcomed with a 15-minute documentary, Red Hot: Nigerian creativity, showing some footages of his workshop and studio sessions as well as talks on production processes of art work, inspiration and art as investment, among other issues.
Onobrakpeya’s stories of change range from political issues to governance, economy and social life of Nigeria since the pre-colonial days. In particular, Aba na nya narrative is a collection of stories, which reflect on changes, small or big, that have enriched or impoverished our lives as the nation moves from traditional to modern time.
Last December, Onobrakpeya who is one of Nigeria’s greatest experimental artists, presented a magnificent body of works at the Temple Muse Christmas Art Salon, which includes metal foils, prints, plastocasts and his new Abananya series on canvas.
Onobrakpeya has received many local and international awards, including a Honorable Mention at the Venice Biennale, and a Living Human Treasure Award in 2006 from UNESCO. He is one of Nigeria’s famous pioneer Zaria Rebels, an art movement he started together with the late Prof. Uche Okeke, Yusuf Grillo, Demas Nwoko and other students at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in the 1950s. Since his student days, Onobrakpeya and his group have revolutionised our art by drawing attention to our old and timeless African values while appreciating global best practices and universal human values.
Despite being in his 80’s, Onobrakpeya continues to amaze his audience with innovations and experiments; his new Abananya works, which symbolise change in society, are a series of individual masklike faces created from engravings and multi-media collages with pieces of cloth, which are photographed using a new xerograph technique. Onobrakpeya has created close to 50 such works with a vision to create a major installation of 100 faces, each representing a unique story of change.
Visual interpretation of change
To illustrate some of the symbolic changes in Nigeria, the master artist recalled how Ogogoro (local gin) was a threat to many people’s lives, the GOWON (Go On With One Nigeria) slogan during the civil war, the impact of NYSC on Nigerian youth, and how an old literate teacher now illiterate of the information technology among others.
One of such stories set in the early 70s, according to Onobrakpeya, is Egosone the local gin (Ogogoro) drinker who on the whisper that policemen were around in the village dived under his bed to retrieve the bottle of Ogogoro. “The drink is also called Akpetechi, Push me I push you, Sapele water and Emereka. Egosone’s friend, Ovedje was not lucky. In the raid, he was arrested for possessing a full tin of undiluted brew of the alcohol. At the station, the drink had to be tasted by many policemen to certify that it was truly illicit.
“In the process, very little was left at the bottom of the tin that was presented in court as evidence against him. Notwithstanding, he was sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour. Ovedje, overjoyed at his release from prison six months later, was crushed when he learnt that Egosone had died under his bed while trying to hide away the exhibit that would have sent him to jail,” he recalled.
Onobrakpeya who stressed the importance of protecting our cultural through literature, art and symbolism also highlighted the efficacy of traditional medicine, which was unfortunately linked with superstition and fetish practices. He said all these attitudes are beginning to change as herbs and traditional method of healing are being investigated and put to use not only in special research units but also in government approved hospitals. “A case in point is the Aro Hospital in Abeokuta where Dr. Adeoye Lambo employed traditional healers to remove psychological fears from the minds of bi-polar challenged patients before applying orthodox western medicine or even traditional herbs,” he said of the change in healthcare delivery system.
Aba Na Nya series face
The making of Abananya
The pictures are facial masks which tell stories of change that have affected our collective lives. The stories invite us to tell our stories of the changes. They are composed of lines, textures and colours are engravings photographically combined with the montage off cuts from textile materials. The final image comes in form of a print on paper or canvas. And the process is called xerography.
Abananyan is an Okpe word which became well known as an expression of disapproval of inferior new Ankara textile materials introduced into our markets.
Abananya is a metaphor for change. The pictures are not graphic illustrations of the stories of change, rather each is a medium through which one rambles back in time.
The dominant element in the pictures is mask, riddled with lines through which one can peep to see dark or varied colours of the past buried in our minds. Few of the masks express wonder or surprise; most of them are stoic in appearance, refusing to pronounce good or bad on the changes.
Favourite of the lots
“I don’t have any favourite story among the lots. They are all interesting and exciting to me. But the Gowon, NYSC, Federal Colleges, and the itinerant teacher stand out among them. The entire series is mirroring the many parts of the changes that have shaped the Nigerian society till date. On how art can affect change in society, when artist create work people see it and get the messages therein. Like Totem of Delta, artists use their works to sensitise the people and the environment for a conducive life.
Late Prof Uche Okeke’s influence on my art
“The late Okeke practically influenced me into writing my ideas down. He was a great philosopher among us. He repositioned the Uli art for the world to appreciate. He taught me how to document my art. He was a master in that aspect. The academics, collectors and artists will miss him. His Asele Institute was one of the inspirations for the setting up of Harmattan Workshop. I pray someone will take over Asele Institute and develop it. Harmattan Workshop is a space where artists can come together and collaborate to learn techniques under an old master and exchange ideas. The works of the younger artists often inspire my own art.
There is need to promote dying art forms such as pottery and blacksmithery, which the workshop always encourage.
Return of Mammy Water
“The Return of Mammy Water series will herald the ascension of Black race in the world in the future. Earlier at the start of the event, he requested for a minute silent in honour of his late friend, Prof Uche Okeke who died on January 5.”
Written by OZOLUA UHAKHEME
Source: The Nation Newspaper
http://thenationonlineng.net/onobrakpeyas-abananya-as-metaphor-for-change/
