Government has not helped in developing art in Nigeria -SNA President, Oliver Enwonwu

 

Oliver Enwonwu

In this interview with ADA DIKE, the president of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) and the Alliance of Nigerian Art Galleries (ANAG), Oliver Enwonwu, shares his views on art in Nigeria, among other riveting issues.

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People believe that art is a cumbersome profession, what is your take on that?

People think that art is cumbersome, but we feel that art is organised. We have different sectors of art industry – we have the critics, the painters, the producers, the writers, those who regulate art and professionals that handle each sector. We also have the conservators, the curators and members of the academia who teach the young ones. So art is an organised sector. Art is something I am very happy to be part of and I see artists as people who envision the development of a society and a country.  People who describe art as cumbersome are people who are not educated about art industry.

Can you tell us how art has helped in developing Nigeria?

Art has helped in a lot of ways in developing Nigeria despite the fact that the government has not really helped in developing art. Art is used to proclaim the greatness of an empire or a kingdom. For instance, the old Benin Kingdom, where the history of the empire is told with the works of sculptors, that is one of the ways art documents history.

Also, statues of a popular king or his army displayed at a location can be used to describe the strength of a kingdom and tell the power that kingdom has or the kingdom’s vastness of strength in case an enemy wants to attack it. The kings in those days were symbols of authority.

Art can also be used to praise God. For example, in the renaissance period, artists’ works were displayed in the churches’ buildings and people were able to get close or connect to their God and they have that awareness that God was around them. Art helps to keep society functional and in order.

For example, when we talk about Spain; we talk about how Picasso used his works to promote his country. All over the world, international arts and exhibitions have tourism potentials as tourists visit there and this increases a country’s foreign exchange. It is a way of tying countries together which helps in arts exchange and civilisation. I want the Nigerian government to tap into this area. Visitors at museums help in boosting the country’s economy. It is unfortunate that Nigeria is over dependent on oil. We need to tap into the art and other sectors which help in building our nation.

How has the Nigerian government helped the visual art sector in promoting artworks in order to boost the country’s economy?

Government has not done much but we expect them to do more. Of recent, we heard that government wants to merge the National Gallery of Arts with the National Commission for Museum and Monument and I think that is going to take us 20 years back. It is never done in any developed country that these two institutions come together. This act is very regressive and it is very hard to see any responsible government do such a thing. It seems the government pays more lip service than anything. We hear about the reforms that are being created but they are never get implemented.

What you have just said contradicts Prof Bruce Onobrakpeya’s statement in an interview last year in which he said that the federal government has done a lot for art industry in Nigeria. Do you have any comment on that?

It depends. In what ways is the federal government doing a lot? I thought that government would make sure that they refurbish the National Gallery of Arts instead of merging it with the National Commission for Museum and Monument. Maybe Prof. Onobrakpeya is encouraging them on what they have done so far and he is hopeful that they will do more. Let’s call a spade spade, government is not doing anything towards the promotion of the art industry in Nigeria.

Being the National President of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Can you share your experience with us?

So far so good, it is a call for one to serve one’s association in one’s country. It can be very challenging but I have been doing my best and also hope that whoever comes after me will do more for our great profession and I am very happy.

Of course, the challenges of funding and lack of government support have been the impediments. This year, we are marking our 50^th anniversary and it has been challenging raising funds for the celebration, but we are doing our best to make sure that the celebration is successful. We have a couple of events lined up. There will be a dinner at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos on July 9, 2014. We are also going to give awards to the industry professionals who have contributed so much to the growth of arts in the country. We are also going to have a conference in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs and the theme is: “The Role of Art in National Development”. This is because we feel that art is not just about painting and sculpturing, but art has a role to play in building a society. We will also have an exhibition at Omenka Gallery.

Like I mentioned earlier, our challenges have been funding and getting the government’s ear in supporting our cause. We are not happy that government has even gone backward to remove the National Gallery of Arts that we fought so hard to see whether we could get a befitting structure.

Presently, there is also a law that states that when an artist wants to take his or her artworks out of the country; he or she will pay 10 percent of the value of those works to the National Museum. We thought that they wanted to use it to deter people from stealing artworks. But how do you expect an artist to pay for a work that he created yesterday? He is not taking an old Benin Bronze out of the country. I thought we have people in National Museum who actually see the works that are taken out for the artist to make a daily bread. The works being taken out are not antiquity. It is quite surprising. We are not happy about this development, so we want the law to be phased out. We feel that the above mentioned issues are not favourable to artists so we are not happy. We feel it is something government should reverse.

Many artists are scattered in many streets in Nigeria and most of them are not members of SNA. Being the president of SNA, what are you doing to bring them to become members?

We promote our events and we have a website and membership forms but a lot of these road side artists are not practicing professionally. Maybe that is why we have not quite allowed them to join the society. Just the same way that you have many professions, we have a professional body that regulate the practice.  One is not a member until he or she regularises his or her membership and pays his or her dues. That is the way a professional should operate. Because one is a painter does not necessarily mean that you are a professional. For example, there are different kinds of engineers. There is a difference between an architect and a draughtsman. An architect knows the right material for a building. These are things we regulate in NSA. Being an artist does not mean that you have a licence to create a sculpture. If you are not an artist and know nothing about structures, your work will likely cause an environmental hazard that may injure or kill people.

Though our profession is something like inspiration, some unprofessional artists used materials that they are not supposed to use or materials that are harmful. For example,  someone who is welding supposed to cover his nose and eyes and wear overall. The roadside mechanic is different from a professional automobile engineer. It is wrong for people to categorise all artists as the same. A charge-and-bail lawyer is different from a real solicitor and he does not command respect. We always try to find a way to bring those road side artists close to see how we can teach them the rudiment of becoming professional artists.

Have some of the roadside artists made any move to join the  Society of NigerianArtists?

Some of them have approached us to join us and we rejected some of them outright because they did not follow the procedure. Art as a profession entails you as an artist to work with a couple galleries, you take safety precaution and you make sure that your works conform to high standard and so on. Some artists use substandard material that fade or spoil within two years which professional artists avoid because they use the best materials. You cannot see any poor artwork in any art gallery because professionals use standard materials. Also, a professional artist will be able to speak eloquently about his or her work but the roadside artist knows nothing about his work. A professional artist knows how to present his or her artwork. How he or she speaks when looking for a contract also matters. We strive to ensure that our professionals excel. We don’t want people who will stain the image of our profession. We don’t want people who just copy as well. Most of the roadside artists copy a lot of works they see somewhere without giving credit to the originator because they have no regard for copyright. I have been to a place and saw someone who copied my work and I asked him: “Do you know whose work is this?” and he asked me: “Oga (Master), do you want to buy?”  This is one of the reasons why we want to accept those who are ready to go for courses and are willing to learn by being apprentices to professionals. Art is much more than waking up and start painting anything, that is why we go to school and study it.

Your late father, Prof Ben Enwonwu was a renowned artist not only in Nigeria but in many parts of the world before his demise. Were you influenced by him before you studied arts in school?

My father influenced me, but art is something that I always love to do. I hold a degree in Biochemistry, Advanced Diploma in Exploration Geophysics (distinction), Post Graduate Diplomas in Applied Geophysics and Visual Art (distinction) and a Masters in Art History, all from the University of Lagos.

Why did you go back to study Arts?

I did not find Biochemistry challenging. Moreover, it was because of my love for Arts, I breathe arts, my school fees were paid with arts and it was something I was very used to in my family. While growing up, I found out that art was more than what I used to think it was. That is why I decided to do Diploma and Masters degree in Arts. Art is more complicated than what a lot of people think. In art, we tell you the history of an artwork, what it means and what we used in making it.

Did you learn the rudiments of the practical aspect of art from your father?

Yes I did and it became part of me. I was painting and exhibiting my works even when I was in school.

Which year did you go into practising as a full time artist?

It was in 1998.

How many solo exhibitions have you done?

I have exhibited extensively and curated many shows all over the world. I have done three solo exhibitions.

How is the trade? Are people patronising you?

 So far so good, yes, people are patronising me. Apart from painting and sculpturing, I am the founder, executive director, and trustee of The Ben Enwonwu Foundation. I sit on the board of several organizations including the National Gallery of Art, Nigeria, and the Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria. I am also chief executive, Revilo, an art publishing company, director, Omenka Gallery and founder and editor, ‘Omenka magazine’, an art, business and luxury-lifestyle publication. 

 Like I tried to explain to you, people think that being an artist is by building an artwork only, no, just like in a hospital where you have doctors, physiotherapists, pharmacists, laboratory analysts, nurses, microbiologists and so on, everybody have their own role in arts. They are some people who create works, those who write about the works, those who market the works, those who preserve them for over 20 years and those who can restore the works when it gets damaged, those who teach young ones fine arts and so on.

Do you feel fulfilled being an artist?

Yes I feel fulfilled without regrets. I graduated with distinction in Biochemistry but I left it because of my passion for arts.

In the next 10 years, where do you see art industry in Nigeria?

I see the standard being raised from where it is right now. I see a lot of exhibitions and catalogues with higher qualities and auctions that are highly patronised thereby adding to Nigerian economy.  I also see Nigerian artists and arts galleries getting recognitions within and outside Nigeria.

Can you shed light on The Ben Enwonwu Foundation?

I initiated the idea and we will be celebrating its 20^th anniversary this year in November and the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka will be one of the speakers, it is going to be very interesting. We will feature works of artists at the event.

How do you intend make sure that the foundation outlives you?

We have structures including board of directors that is rotational. We keep working to ensure that things are done the right way so that the foundation keeps waxing strong even when I am not there.

Would you allow any of your children to become a visual artist like you?

I allow my children to be what they want to become.

Does it mean that none of them will become an artist?

Well, I don’t know.

Are you the only person in your family that is an artist?

Yes, I am.

What is your advice to the Nigerian youth that may want to become an artist in future?

Study well and graduate with a good grade. Read more to expand your horizon. Don’t just aspire to work with your brush to be an artist. Art, to me is more than that. Art is everywhere, even in governance. Nigeria would be a better place if everyone follows the right way in doing things, which is art. The way you walk, eat, talk is an art.

I encourage the young ones to be artistic in all they do. If you take all you do as an art, you will definitely do better. You have to conceptualise your idea before you create anything. If you thing big and take what you are doing seriously, you will see that everything will be achieved. Being funny, that is comedy is an art. Music is an art; even taking care of your children is an art. When you ensure that your children eat, bath, sleep at a particular time, which is an art, you will find out that they will do better in school.