BY JAPHET ALAKAM

Alex Nwokolo is one of Nigeria’s artists who engage in the exploration of forms and new media of expressions. As a talented colourists, Nwokolo explores artistic possibilities with his body of works, but in his latest exhibition titled, Authenticity of Thought, he is seen to have shifted his experimental ground from the usual paintings to the exploration of materials in a new body of works in mixed media.

The exhibition which is organised by Sachs Gallery, Lagos and supported by Access Bank, Vueve Clicquot and Arra Wines opened yesterday and runss till 13th June, 2012 at the Lagos culture house, Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The new body of works which took Nwokolo several months of tinkering, altering and reconfiguration to develop into new forms is an exploration of materiality and the extant possibilities of working in various media in very creative ways, whereby materials are presented in ways that make them indistinguishable from their recognizable states. The focus of the show according to him is based on the desire for change and the need to have global perspective in his art.

The exhibition features about 25 works in fabric, aluminum foil, papier mache, enamel paint etc. The works actually show a drift from his usual painting works to constructed objects. However, they also reveal the trajectory of his creative talents as he is able to combine painting with his design and craftsmanship.

One of the works displayed at the exhibition

In assembling the works, the artist made use of four main dimension of material: they are those made of rolled- up pieces of fabrics placed orderly on a board, those made of flattened and folded pieces of aluminum foil and those made up of papier mache on a board. But the metal works dominate the collection. And with the fusion of the above materials, he is able to produce stunning works that send his message across.

Though, the latest evolution might be seen  as a new realm of experimentation, but viewed critically, one notices that Alex is gradually towing the lines of El Anatsui, Olu Amoda and others who are known artists to experiment in this form. From the look of things, this medium is gradually becoming a preferred ground for artistic expression.

Some of the works include: A Tale of two cities, which has two panels depicting Abuja and a nameless place in the Niger Delta. The work shows the economic imbalance caused by the political class in Nigeria where the Niger Delta that produces oil is underdeveloped.

Another piece titled Subsidy Unrest, a metal work that illustrates the shock Nigerians received from the fuel price hike announced by the Federal Government of Nigeria on New Year day and how the people flooded the streets in protest over that pronouncement.

Also, there were works that highlight inhuman treatment meted out to people even in the developed countries of the world. For example, the piece titled Guantanamo Bay, a very big work that highlights the U.S’s battle with human right issues.

Guantanamo Bay jailhouse shows black men and white men in chains as well as illustrations of other prisoners dressed in American prison smocks. There is also the Holding Cell in countries in Europe where they establish immigrant’s cell for illegal immigrants. These works reflect on the state of human right abuse across the globe, and especially, in America.

There is also a piece titled Ubulu, the tree of life that depicts the childhood memories and the cultural significance of a tree in the village. This work is very important, especially now that the world clamour for green environment.

Speaking about the works, Nwokolo stated that the desire for change and the need to have global perspective in his art instigated a stimulus for this current effort: “This works offer me yet another opening to contribute to an existing international calligraphy, which is a pictorial language – not necessarily figurative – of symbols and media derived from everyday socio-cultural signs and symbolism, where elements are assembled and dissected onto a surface resulting in a hybrid between painting and sculpture.” He said.