Wednesday 31 July 2013

My experience while building Dana air crash cenotaph - Idowu Sonaya


Cenotaph built as memorial for Dana plane crash victims.
Idowu Sonaya
He is a renowned sculptor, painter and graphic artist based in
Lagos. Idowu Sonaya, the treasurer of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Lagos State Chapter, recently led a team of sculptors that built the cenotaph at the site where Dana aircraft crashed last year. He speaks to ADA DIKE on how important that cenotaph meant to him.
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*Can you tell us about yourself?
I was born in Lagos State, but my family came from Odogbolu in Ogun State. I attended my primary and early part of my secondary school in Ibadan, Oyo State before my uncle took me to Ogun State where I completed my secondary school in Ago-Iwoye Secondary School, Ogun State.
From there, I proceeded to Lagos in 1987 and later enrolled for a part time programme to study General Arts in Yaba College of Technology. I also did my Higher National Diploma in Yaba College of Technology. There, I attended an interview and someone among my interviewers told me that I would do well as a sculptor than a painter. From that moment, I took to sculpting.
I discovered that there is no medium I cannot do well, but sculpting was something a bit far from me, even though I did it in general art. I started making use of clay, wood, cement, fibre glass and different mediums that I needed to explore. I was one of the best students then. I graduated in 1999. During my youth service period, I served at a school in Niger State, where I taught students Fine Arts and English Language.
When I returned to Lagos, I taught in a secondary school, Ekum College, Amukoko, Lagos, before I went fully into sculpting. Even while I was in school, I have been sculpting and having exhibitions. I stopped teaching in 2007 and have since been practising Fine Arts fully.
*Some people regard sculpting as a cumbersome work. How do you cope with it?
Some artists prefer to do sculpting, some prefer to do painting, some prefer to do art and craft like tie-dye and so on. Personally, I enjoy doing what I do because I like it. At times, I do work for free, but what actually motivates me is because I enjoy doing it.
Yes, it is cumbersome, that is why it is called artwork. If it is not laborious, nobody will call it artwork. There is no shortcut to anything meaningful. You must work hard, that is why I dedicated myself to it. It is what I am called to do. I don’t have any other work, so I don’t know whether it is difficult. I like the outcome of my works, though the beginning may not be smooth. Rome was not built in a day. You have to go through a particular process for you to achieve an excellent result.
*How do you source for your clients?
I write a lot of proposals to government agencies, ministries, corporate organisations and individuals. Sometimes, government and individuals meet me and propose what they want without me proposing to them. We then share ideas and arrive at a point, but most of my proposals have been applauded.
For example, I have executed many works that people appreciated. I developed the concept and they were executed. After several proposals I wrote to Lagos State, I was commissioned to build a sculpture of Late Alhaja Abibat Mogaji, mother of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which is yet to be commissioned.
I also proposed to build the gate at the National Library, Lagos, and I was given the privilege to handle it. I also proposed to build the sculptural gate at the Rowe Park, Onike, Lagos and I was given the privilege to execute the project.
Concerning the cenotaph of the Dana plane that crashed last year at Iju, Lagos, it was a proposal from the Ministry of Works, Lagos State and I was asked to execute it. I did it within a short period of time - less than two weeks.
I called a few number of people to assist me. You cannot do everything alone even if you developed the concept. Some people will help you to mix clay and some will help you to apply other materials.
Idowu Sonaya
*What did you use to build the cenotaph?
The medium I used was fibre glass- mixture of a chemical known as resin with a fibrous material known as mat and other chemicals that were mixed together to make sure that you have the fibre glass in place. There are some other additions like the plaster of paris (POP) and so on.
*Did Lagos State government draft the concept or did you suggest how it would look like?
Actually, the Ministry of Works invited me and gave me a script of how they wanted it to look like because there was a mapped out plan already. I only saw the plan and they told me that, that was how they wanted it to look like and I worked with it. What we only did was to find the actual model of the plane.  But the only thing we avoided was to put the name of the airline on the cenotaph because it is a sculpture that would help remind people of the memory of the tragic event. We pray that things like that will not happen again.
*Being a contract that fetched you money, it is possible that you were concerned about the money you charged. What was going on your mind while building it?
It is not every work that I do that brings money. If it were for the monetary gain, I wouldn’t do it at all. I lost a niece with her children in the crash, so, that made me to feel very sad about the mishap. When I heard that Lagos State wanted to do a memorial of one year of the crash, I was happy about that because that also helps to keep her in our memory for generations to come.
Her death in that crash was a great loss to our family. It was really something that touched me as well. What actually spurred me was putting my niece into a memorial not the monetary gain involved. When you have something like a memorial or memorabilia in place after a tragic occurrence, you would console yourself.
*Among all the works you have done as an artist, which one is the most challenging one?
The most challenging work I have done so far was the Dana air crash cenotaph, because it was done within a very short period. Secondly, the installation was done in a very unfamiliar way. Because of its weight, it is supposed to be lifted with a crane. That very morning the memorial took place, they told us that we have to move it there. Crane could not enter that site that morning so that it won’t spoil the stones there. So, when we saw the challenges of mounting it, we summoned courage and ensured that the work was mounted that morning.
At a point, I had to order that it should be brought down because I did not want anyone to die while mounting it, but my team encouraged me so we mounted it.
* You did a beautiful painting of Nigerian singer, Asa. Are you her fan or did she ask to do that work for her?
I did that work on Asa because her music inspires me in a very different way. Her kind of music is unique, that is why she is being classified as my special brand of artiste. I wanted to do something but decided to do it about her when I saw her. So I picked up my water colour and started painting.
*Do you intend to sell it or give it Asa when you see her?
Why not? People have even shown interest in buying it. But I can present to her if I happen to have a meeting with her, because she has promoted Nigeria’s music industry in a special way.
*How do you intend to sustain the momentum you are getting in your career?
God alone can help me to sustain the momentum because I cannot do it alone. I will keep on doing my bit and allow God to do the rest. With God’s help, I will continue to be at the right place at the right and meet the right people and propose to them about what I do.
*What is your view about art generally in Nigeria?
Art in Nigeria has never been the way it is now, concerning the popularity and the kind of market we command today. We are getting there. It has improved over the years. Since five years ago, we have seen many developments concerning art business in Nigeria. People are really patronising us unlike before when people looked down on artists. We are happy that people are now identifying with us. We have auction every year unlike before when what we were doing were not so much pronounced. More artists are getting informed and more upcoming artists are being encouraged because it brings food on the table of many people. It is a serious business, not what someone will do alongside another profession.
But I implore the federal government to create policies that will make artworks exchangeable media for collateral just like landed property banks demand when somebody wants to collect loan. Artwork is a valuable property that can appreciate over years. Let government create an agency that can recognise and code artworks that can stand the test of time and can be exchanged as valuable items for those that want to borrow money.
*As a treasurer of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Lagos State Chapter, how do you intend to reach out to other artists who don’t belong to your society?
 I got to know about the Society of Nigerian Artists while I was in school and one can join once you are a graduate with minimum of Higher National Diploma. The policy then was that every graduate in a higher institution is an automatic member of the professional body, the Society of Nigerian Artists. So we are not leaving that out. Very soon, we will be having programmes with students in secondary schools and higher institutions to sensitise them about art as a profession. For the artists that have graduated and are not part of the body, we encourage them to join. We always try to carry everybody along.
*What is your advice for the upcoming artists?
They should believe in themselves. They should not be discouraged. They should work hard and pray hard so that they will excel. They will grow if they work hard because we have galleries, museums, government agencies and institutes they can use to project themselves to the crescendo.
*Who is your mentor?
My mentor, even though I have never said it before now, had been Professor Ben Enwonwu because, his achievements have been so outstanding. Although, I don’t have the same opportunity to study abroad, I believe that I can still make a difference wherever I am. I really appreciate his achievement and I believe God will help me to do a lot in the art world. Another person I want to give credit to is Mr. Olu Awada who inspired me so much through his work while we were in Yaba College of Technology. That made me not to be afraid of any work I have because somebody that has been doing it.
*Do you feel fulfilled as an artist?
Yes, I do because I have been able to let the world know who I am. If not the whole world, at least many Nigerians know me. I feel fulfilled because the joy of every artist is to be famous. Every other achievement is by the way. You are not the one doing it anyway, it is your work that speaks for you and advertises you to the world. My works have taken me to a lot of places and many events. It is also bringing money to my bank account. So, what else do I need from this profession? Apart from sculpture, I do graphic design, water colour painting and so on.
Idowu Sonaya

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