By PRISCA SAM-DURU

Project Space, Lagos, an art centre for research, encounter, exchange, collaboration, residency and  contemporary art, last week, held a project tagged “Lagos Open -Ajegunle invitation 2013”, during which invited artists, in collaboration with residents of the Ajegunle  engaged some public spaces in selected streets in the Ajegunle community.

The street art project which kicked-off Monday 11th November, 2013 and ended on Friday had  artists from around the world with the residents of the area storming Ajegunle where they displayed nothing less than creativity in the areas of Installations, Performances, Graffiti, Photography, Music, AJ Couture etc. The finished product was however, presented on Saturday 16th November. During the unveiling of “Lagos Open – Ajegunle Invitation 2013” international public art project at Badore, Lagos, where Project space is located, Nigeria’s multitalented artist based in Germany, Emeka Udemba  played host to writers, artists, and journalists at a cocktail.

Emeka who has displayed such impeccable artistic ingenuity in his years of experience as a visual artist, said “I paints when I feel like painting and dance when I feel like dancing”  As an artist, I have right to do whatever I want to do and use any material depending on the message I want to pass across. Art has gone beyond painting, even mere thinking is art.”

*The open space project

Redefining the society

My interest is so much on Public Space, that is using art to influence what goes on in the society. The project is on Ajegunle and it is all about redefining our society through art . Changing stereotypes about a particular space and also, using public space effectively for nation’s development. The Ajegunle Open was a collaborative project in which residents of Ajegunle were involved with invited artists who put ideas together during discussions.

“Last time we worked on only one street in Ajegunle but this time, we expanded our scope” as the project took place at Abukuru and Orodu streets as well as Maracana Stadium.

The aim of the project according to Emeka is to enable participants through different genres of art, create stories with regard to the selling points of the areas that were covered, in order to project the positive side of Ajegunle in addition to attracting tourists to interesting sites. “Ajegunle is just like any other space but has been  stigmatised, so if we keep on waiting for Government to redefine it and show the level of transformation that has taken place there, it will be in vain. I am happy this project took place because it is only arts and culture that bring people to unusual places.”

Explaining what Project Space is all about, Emeka disclosed that “it was acquired more than ten years ago, and was developed gradually with personal funds from private exhibitions across Europe.” Now, it is open for art gatherings and events as a way to contribute to the culture of Lagos art circuits as well as keep the structure utilized whenever the artist is outside the country with his family in Germany.

Being in Badore instead of concentrating  in a particular area is for expansion besides, the cultural eddifice is ideal for artistic production. The space affords artists a chance to make art relevant enough to engage society and engender social change.

The crowd present  included Kora Award winning musician Ade Bantu, Marc-Andre Schmachtel, the director of Goethe Institute, Lagos, etc