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| Cenotaph built as memorial for Dana plane crash victims. |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Idowu Sonaya |
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