By Prisca Sam-Duru

As life gradually returns in the art and culture community, painter-philosopher, Ibe Ananaba’s exhibition of thirty-one paintings and drawings which opened at The Wheatbaker Hotel, Lagos, is an inspiring way to begin, as art lovers observe his works with great enthusiasm.

Opening to the general public November 4, 2020, in the wake of demands for good governance by Nigerian youth, Ananaba’s art inspires a sense of community and hope in restless times.

Themed, ‘Towards the Light’, the exhibition ending on December 4, 2020, is curated by SMO Contemporary Art, and supported by Louis Guntrum wines.

‘Towards The Light’ is a solo exhibition of recent works by Ananaba which brings solace at a time of emotional, economic and political fatigue as we prepare to bid goodbye to the year 2020 which has been quite challenging.

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The fine artist’s exhibition of paintings and drawings is grounded in an avant-garde musical track, which encapsulates the rhythm of a generation seeking answers to fundamental questions about identity and equality, democracy, racism and the right to choose who leads the people.

Ananaba, born in Belgium in 1976, graduated from the Institute of Management & Technology (IMT) Art School in 1999, with a distinction in painting. He spent the early part of his career working in advertising, honing his technique and artistry as a fashion illustrator, designer, caricaturist, portraitist and art director, before becoming a full-time studio artist.

Over the years, Ananaba’s art has provided a critical commentary to the state of global and local socio-politics.  During the months of the Covid-19 lock down, he kept busy in his studio, a safe cocoon in which music inspired each brush stroke, as he painted to drown out the insecurity, the anxiety, the uncertainty, and keep the pandemic at bay.

His subjects are presented in strong contrast, with powerful sources of light, which act as sheaves of hope filtering through dark spaces. He renders his portraits with deft impressionistic brushstrokes beckoning us to rediscover our internal peace, away from the rush of our noisy, complex lives.

His large canvases depict children running across his canvas with arms spread out in full flight, reminding us to give life to dreams of an equitable future. He also paints isolated figures in retreat, waiting, reading, sleeping, thinking, hoping, dreaming, some with their heads doused in furious colors, demanding more than the status quo.

His work circles back to the mantra that despite the apparent darkness, we need to keep moving towards the light.

“Ananaba’s works bring solace at a time of emotional and political fatigue as we near the end of a very challenging year,” said Sandra Mbanefo-Obiago, the exhibition curator and Founder of SMO Contemporary Art. “While the constraints on our lives in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic are not relenting, Ananaba’s works remind us to continue to tap into the power of community, and the hope, vitality, and pure creative energy of our visionary youth.”

Ananaba has taken part in many group shows and solo exhibitions in Nigeria, South Africa, the United States, the UK, Israel, and Canada. He won First Prize in the Art Masters Contest, at Art Vancouver in 2019 and his work is in important collections including the National Assembly in Abuja. He has regularly taught workshops on diverse topics including ‘Harnessing Your Artistic potential’ and volunteers as Chief Art Consultant and Coordinator of studio programs for the Girl Child Art Foundation, a non-governmental organization committed to using art as an advocacy tool for adolescent girls.

Vanguard News Nigeria