By Prisca Sam-Duru

A total of 37 alluring art pieces by Nigeria’s renowned artist and art historian, Onyema Offoedu-Okeke, are up for viewing at SACHS Gallery, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

The exhibition which is Ofoedu-Okeke’s 7th solo show themed, ‘Substratum: Anatomy of Support System’, opened on Saturday, October 26, 2024. ‘Substratum’ explores themes of human experience with emphasis on relationships, appreciation and  hard work which speak eloquently of the artist’s consistency in impacting humanity through his art.

The solo show which offers lovers of art and collectors alike a unique opportunity to savour the artist’s dexterity in storytelling through art, will remain open till November 8, 2024.

With breathtaking artworks revolving around how people could be supported in the persistent economic hardships undermining Nigerians, the celebrated artist views the prevalent socio-economic issues via a deeply focused analytic lens.

The exhibition features works such as ‘Lean on me 1’, ‘Lean on me 11’, Arise on Wonderful Day1’, ‘Arise On Wonderful Day11’, ‘Crown of Beauty 1 & 11’, ‘Ose Daalu’ (Thank You Lord), ‘Sibling Bond’, ‘Pianist, How Great Thou Art’, ‘Itinerant Trader’, ‘Reading on Planetary’, ‘Mentor’, etc, all of which explore human connections and support in times of need.

The theme of the project, according to the artist, was approached  with “pleasant pictures wherein pictorial composition, postures and colours celebrate possibilities and realities of economic resilience.”

The works are indeed products of years of fine art practice. For over two decades, Offoedu-Okeke has had six solo outings and over 25 significant  group exhibitions across the globe. ‘Our World’ (2000), held in London; Stockholm, Sweden and New York (organised by the Winsor and Newton London); the Artiade- Olympics of Art during the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 (organized by Renate Westhoff);  the Miami Solo, Miami USA in 2011 (by the Art Expo America), etc, are some of the most memorable exhibitions he has participated in.

In 2003, he contributed text for significant art catalogs such as Yinka Shonibare’s ‘Double Dutch’ exhibition (2003). Between 2005-2007, Onyema published a column titled ‘Art Life’ in the Saturday edition of Thisday Newspaper (Nigeria).

In October of 2012, his seminal work titled ‘Artists of Nigeria’ was published by the 5 Continents Editions Milan Italy. Dr Adhiambo Odaga, the spirited Executive Director of The Ford Foundation West-Africa, advocated for and facilitated  the project with full sponsorship.

Addressing art writers before the exhibition opening, Offoedu-Okeke explained that the “art-pieces on display locate a lamp of virtue in human behaviour which shines even brighter in bad times. “While most informal discussion dissects the fiscal crunch to apportion blame on legislative leadership and to paint grim pictures of the future, the ambit of my artistic scope rather chooses to remember works of grace done by people of all economic class to ultimately pilot Nigeria beyond the collapse of its economy.”

The art pieces  he noted further, are drawn from diverse situations of support systems thereby offering complimentary equity.

While explaining the meaning of the Latin word Substratum as a figurative helping hand, he said, “Support systems, philanthropy, and empathy serve as foundations for rebuilding in times of hardship.”

The artist further highlights the importance of social resilience, manifesting in diverse acts of kindness  even as he offers visual narratives of how they assume  the anchor of any society, especially in times of economic woes.

“My approaches comprise of architecture, sociology, civil engineering, historicity, biology, visual iconography and music,” he said about how he approached the research for the works, adding, “Vortex of colours, motifs, shapes and forms approximate the dynamic interaction of experiences wherein the acts of supporting structure can be found effective and expedient.”

Hopefully for the fine artist, observers will be “emotionally and intellectually galvanised to be helpful in the situations of need, whether in the family, the community or the national interest at large. Needful persons or communities can be helped by gift of labour-skills via academic sponsorship or simply with a gift of dinner.”

He also hopes that the project will have great impact on the art world and beyond such as “Revision of welfare benefits to dutiful workers in service departments, especially the increase of minimum wage to civil servants, overhaul of the civil service to include greater reward to ingenuity, and implementation of social security welfare.”

At an early age, Ofoedu-Okeke was preoccupied with art with an inclination to draw on his mother’s classroom blackboard. As an informally-trained visual artist, his liberal artistic vision cultivated within the 1970-80s was inspired by footloose explorations of Enugu’s post-war rustic but kaleidoscopic streets; imaginative space in encyclopedias, and cloisters of television fairs. Textures offered by these encounters gave Onyema his unique artistic awareness.

During his study of Architecture at the University of Nigeria,Enugu Campus (1985-92), Onyema operated a studio practice centered on portraiture and poster-making, and after graduation began to investigate design solutions inherent in art. The lines, grid-structure and formalistic surfaces commonplace in architectural design inevitably manifested a new pathway through which the young artist approached the broader task of artistic observation and discursive interventions.