By Osa Mbonu-Amadi, Arts Editor 

Another edition of artists residency at Alexis Galleries, famous for producing top artists and top works has just been completed.

The products of this residency will be presented to the public in an exhibition titled ‘Conversations in Colour’ which comes up September 10, 2022. Five works each in oil and acrylic done by each of the five artists that participated in the residency will be on display. The artists are King Ereso, Meshach Charity, Segun Abraham, Ghina Sabra and Gobe Joseph.

King Ereso comes to the show with his RED series. RED, he says, stands for Realising Every Dream. The use of red colour in Ereso’s work is connected to an accident he had but survived while in secondary school. That is why the red in his works are dripping, he says.

Meshach Charity, who believes that art should be a reflection of the artist and his story, deals with the theme, My School Days, which explores the concept of distraction, focus, nostalgia and innocence in his reflection of past experiences.

Segun Abraham grew up drawing comics and cartoons which have had heavy influences in his works. He fuses African motifs and floral patterns into his works.

Ghina Sabra, a Lebanese who was initially trained as an architect, comes to the exhibition with five works titled Dreamweaver, Mona/Lisa, Unity, The Embodiment, and Self lover. Ghina says the primary reason she paints is to transfer some of the knowledge she gained from her spiritual experiences onto the canvas. She is interested in multi-media art, “painting is the first one I started with,” she says. “As a digital artist, sometimes I explore how one can take something that is created by hand or as a craft into the digital world and expand it further.”

Gobe Joseph who grew up in Ibadan under the tutelage of Oluwole deals with the concepts of acceptance and love. In the works Gobe presents for this exhibition, which are portraits of beautiful teenage girls, he uses space and reflection to look into loneliness and a sense of belonging.  

The exhibition is sponsored by Pepsi, Tiger, Indomie, Mikano, The Guardian, AMG Logistics, Haier Thermocool, U.P.S, Aina Blankson, Lost in a City, Cobranet, Art Cafe, Lipton, Wazobia TV, Nigeria Info FM and Rentokil Boecker.

Artists’ detailed bio

King Ereso

King Ereso’s works capture the beauty in physical expression, self-realization, emotions, fashion and his journey to self-discovery. He is a versatile artist who is comfortable with his expression in diverse media.

King holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Meshach Charity

Meshach Charity’s love and fascination with colour enables him to record and portray everyday happenings that are connected to his past and present experiences. He retains the statement “Art is a reflection of oneself” as his philosophy in his practice and that is evident in his recent body of works that tell his story of courage, fear, travails during his school days.

He is a graduate of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Uyo, Nigeria lives and works in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Ghina Sabra

Ghina Sabra is a Multimedia Artist and Director working on a diversity of productions ranging from paintings, immersive shows, NFTs, and more recently, film. Originally educated and practiced as a RIBA III Architect, today she is fully dedicated to the expression of the Transformative Arts.

Ghina engages with different media between the physical and digital worlds exploring the potential of their alchemy. Painting is the first form of art she practiced and experimented with, which led her to develop her own abstract figurative style. Her inspirations are drawn from the study of metaphysics, spirituality, personal transformation, mythology, her personal life experiences and cultural encounters.

Segun Abraham

Segun Abraham is a graduate of Auchi Polytechnic with a specialisation in painting. His practice draws inspiration from his early and continuous exposure to comic illustrations, movies and music videos.

Gobe Joseph

Born in Oyo State, Nigeria, Gobe Joseph is an artist with strong interest in the relationship with self, nature and immediate environment. He is a graduate of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, with a specialisation in Painting.

The artists’ bio were compiled by Mathew Oyedele, Alexis Galleries Curator.

Gallery statement

A statement issued by Patty Chidiac-Mastrogiannis, founder of Alexis Galleries, says: Alexis Galleries is known to begin each calendar year with a residency program for young and emerging artists. But for the first time, and without neglecting the objective to nurture and guide the artists, the Gallery is having two residencies in a calendar year due to its observation of the need to extend the platform to more artists.

The artists in this exhibition have had interactions and talk-sessions with seasoned artists, as well as an atmosphere that allows them to create without pressure or distraction. The resulting works are therefore presented to the public as an exhibition of the artists’ creative skills.

I am glad to welcome you all to this special exhibition and I am also pleased to announce that the gallery will be adopting Little Sisters of the Poor as a Non-Governmental and Not-for-profit organization to give back to the society.