 |
| The Future I See (2013) |
 |
| Okoh |
ADA DIKE
A couple of days ago, arts lovers and
enthusiasts viewed the ‘Optical Illusion’ solo exhibition by Nelson Okoh at the
Nike Art Gallery. The exhibition featuring miniature paintings, sketches
and large scale oil paintings came to a close on the evening of Friday 18th
October.
Okoh is a self
trained artist originating from Delta State, and has become one of the most in
demand artist since 2012 by the collectors of the Nike Art Gallery. His unique
distinctive style of work can be seen as a creative expression and exploration
of the relationship between art and science; Okoh reinvents the ordinary and
the obvious, to entice and teach the viewer to think and to feel; He employs
cultural subjects to engage our collective attention. His work continues
to spark interest with his unusual compositions which are influenced by
water elements; the rain drop effect and the wave.
 |
| Reflection of a maiden in yellow (2013) |
Popular for his dark
to light application of oil paint, his work illustrates great contrast in
colour and illumination, and demands attention particularly from a far
distance. In his new series work of work, such as the ‘Twin Face’, a
cubic approach can be found, to further challenge the observations of the
audience.
Ultimately, Okoh’s
work is a product of the elements that surround us and the order in which we
process the obvious and the not so obvious. His unique and enduring style
of work is a clear result of his experimentation and self study, which has set
him apart from his peers and continues to leave a visual imprint in the minds
of the audience.
On what he intends to communicate to the
world about his artworks, he says: “I want the world to know that art is life
and I want people to know that life may not easily give one what he or she
wants. When you work hard coupled with sincerity of purpose, you can be
successful in life. Art has a way of affecting our lives psychologically and if
we look at artworks, you find out that there is more to life than to people
think. My work can affect and transform lives and also remind us that we should
be optimistic. Art has a lot of roles to play in governance. Art is wide and
there are a lot of interpretations about arts. So I want my work to affect many
lives positively and appeal to humanity,” Okoh explained.
Most of his works are women. “When you look
around, you will see the most emotional people on earth, that is, women. I
chose the feminine gender because women portray emotion and are vulnerable to
so many things. The female figure is beautiful and well created by God in terms
of stature and emotion. It is appealing to the eyes when you see them; there is
nothing wrong to the male gender. I have a couple of male artworks in my
workshop but have more of women.”
He also revealed that he gets inspiration
from things around him including the waves of sea, dripping on a particular
surface and other scenes. “I look around me and come up with an idea which
people always appreciate when they see it. There are some many inspirations one
can derive from; it could be fire, raindrops, mountain, and trees, among others,”
he said.
Below are some of his works:
 |
| Composition in yellow (2013) |
 | ||
| Friends at work 2013 oil on canvas |
No comments:
Post a Comment