Born in Kaduna, Jimmy Nwanne studied fine arts at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria, with a major in painting. He currently lives and works in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Nwanne’s works have been exhibited in Denmark, Germany and Nigeria.

*Jimmy Nwanne juxtaposed with one of his stunning works at the exhibition in Lagos.

By Prisca Sam-Duru

How did your career as an artist begin? 

Looking back now, I can see that I was fascinated by hand drawn images or handmade things. I just loved handmade things. It truly engaged me and still does. Growing up, I watched cartoons and bought a lot of comic books. I guess that strong appreciation for what I saw made me want to clone them. That was how I began to draw very early and wanted to tell something through drawing. I basically chose art because I felt I could communicate something and could do it by just being myself.

An important point is that I was touched by music. The music of Tupac, Bob Marley and Fela Kuti had a profound impact on me so I thought if I cannot sing I could communicate like they did through painting. I understood that art could be used to touch society, speak to an audience, point out signs and ask questions. It simply gives me a voice. And finally, when I had to go to university, I did not have any other interest so I opted for art especially for the reasons mentioned above.

Your works (which were still showing at Wheatbaker Hotel Lagos) tell of a creative mind pushing boundaries. What’s the reception so far?

Thank you for your kind words. I think the reception has been fantastic. At the opening, I met a lot of people and got loads of positive feedback, so I will say it has been received very well. I bade good bye to the works as they will be heading to new homes where I hope they shall illuminate.

But it appears little is known about you?

Well I am pretty new on the scene. That should explain why little is known about me, although I have featured in two exhibitions in Nigeria prior to Wanderlust. Like most things in life, the awareness comes with time. I want to be involved in more exhibitions because without any doubt, exhibiting helps to build an artist’s reputation. So I look to do more of that.

As part of the effort to create the awareness in Nigeria, I am pleased to announce that I will be taking up a 3 month artist-in-residence program in Lagos granted by Arthouse Foundation Lagos. It will run from Sept 11, 2017 till Dec 8, 2017. This will offer me the time and place to put out a new body of work and at the same time expose my works more to the Nigerian audience.

Just to add, I have been featured severally in the Arthouse Contemporary Lagos Art Auctions and my works have done well. I think people are getting to know my works now and I believe the interest will deepen.

What is your source of Inspiration?

Life is my inspiration just by being open to it; I feel I am a channel through which expression comes through. I am a Janitor in the mind of society, bringing order to chaos.

The fact that I can tap into that which makes us all human, especially to reimagine the world, remind, redirect or point our minds to the essential; peace, love, beauty and all the good values because we truly need them to keep our world afloat, makes me want to paint. When you love, you care. But if it is about lust, it will be to eliminate the other. So it is all about love for me.

One thing I do appreciate about being an artist is that I have a voice and I can lend it to another.

What is your ideal work environment?

That is a good question. First should be where I have access to materials, a spacious work area, some privacy (because I enjoy to work when am alone), good lighting, good music (jazz, reggae), access to food. I think these things are key.

How would you rate Nigerian artists?

I think it is important for an artist to be creative. Creativity is something that sits next to an artist on the bus on this journey called art.

Artists live on the border between chaos and order. As agents of civilization, we teach the world to see things or look at things differently, so it is good to think laterally or be liberal minded.

When you are like that, you will be interested in ideas and will be driven to try things.

To have those new frontiers that you mentioned is a good thing because that is what art is supposed to do. An artist should not be bound by stringent rules because they stifle creativity.

Nigeria is rich in diversity so the art should have varied appeal it brings with it; it is good for our image.

How would you compare practicing in Nigeria and in Germany?

First, what matters is that I am an artist. Regardless of where I practice, the substance of my work will remain the same.

Practicing however, whether in Nigeria or Germany begins with the production of the art itself. God said let there be light and there was light. Working without constant electricity supply and some other basic necessities can be very frustrating, that I find as a major disturbance practicing in Nigeria. Being able to work at any time of day without being bothered about electricity is liberating and that is one thing I enjoy abroad. If your process is interrupted by the erratic power supply or even the lack of running water like it is in most parts of Nigeria, then your motivation to work will be twisted which is not good for a creative mind or anyone in other fields who hope to be productive.

In other words, having a conducive environment makes a huge difference between practicing in Nigeria and abroad.

Secondly, after the production part comes marketing or creating awareness. Having the needed infrastructure in society to support visual art makes the practice worth the effort and it makes art live up to its role in society. Here, art is very well funded. It gets support from the state. Art also has monumental spaces where people can go to see artworks. This gives it a presence in society that is invaluable.

Sadly, in Nigeria, it is not the case. Not having the right institution; museums and other important art spaces to manage art does not help its value or its appreciation. Therefore, the government and the private sector should do more by investing heavily in the development and marketing of the visual art and the creative industry at large to maximize its true potential.

 African Art is evolving, how do you see it in the future?

I see it expanding even more because one thing it does for Africa is that it gives us the platform to speak for ourselves and a lot of people want to hear from us directly. In order for Africa to get the respect it deserves, we have to control our image and the creative industry offers us that platform to do so. The creative industry holds so much and it is also the new economy which is yet to be properly tapped into. We have always had the potential in Africa just the stage to perform is missing and I see we are beginning to get it right. The bigger the stage the more our true creativity will rise to the occasion.