By Onyeka Ezike

The Biblical Allegories have inspired an amazing Art exhibition by Emmanuel Bankole, showcasing the uniqueness of talents and the pivotal role of divinity in attaining a purposeful life. The exhibition was themed “Burden or Becoming”. The theme was infused by one of scripture’s most discussed allegories, the parable of the talent, to bring into limelight that our purpose is connected to our gift. The event was recently held at the Radisson Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

The exhibition showcased eleven fabric pieces on canvas artwork. The works are unique in their title, with each expressing the need for talent in actualizing a purposeful life. They include: 8 fabric pieces on canvas, 2 pencil sketches on chipboard, and 1 print on archival paper (28 editions).

Some of the artworks were, ‘Vibe Check’, a 22 x 30-inch fabric piece on canvas, ‘Seed of Infinite Possibilities, a collaboration with Owadasa Roland, ‘The Human and the Divine 1, a 20 x 24-inch fabric piece on canvas, ‘Equality, 25 x 30 inches fabric piece on canvas,’ Until I come, a 22 x 30-inch Fabric piece on canvas, the work depicts gift and talent as an investment. Every gift and talent we have been given is expected to be invested to benefit others because a time would come when the master who gave it to us would require us to give an account of how we used it to benefit the world.

In an interview, Emmanuel said the inspiration for the Parable of the Talent came two days after his second Art exhibition titled the ‘Pacesetter’, which was held last year. He said, “What really matters is for people to understand that they have a purpose in this life, and their purpose can be traced to their talent, and that is what this exhibition is all about,” he noted.

The exhibition seeks to bring to the limelight the essence of purpose, which is connected to our gift, and our ability to work on it will enable us influence the world, sustain ourselves and people around us.

The essence of the theme “Burden or Becoming” is about us taking the responsibility to make sure we do everything needed or required to ensure our talent influences the world. Although it can be scary sometimes, when we receive the idea due to a lack of resources. In this exhibition, one of the works, ‘Human and The Divine,’ a fabric piece on canvas, depicts the essence of talent connectivity to divinity. In this work, resources are not a barrier as long as it is connected to divinity. The dove in the work represents divinity, peace, the Holy Spirit and divine guidance.

Emmanuel said, “As a Christian, most of my artworks are inspired by the Holy Spirit. Our purpose as humans is connected to our talents. ‘The Human and The Divine’ depicts the importance of ideas not being limited to resources alone. Most of the time, we have ideas, but we don’t really have the resources to fund them. However, when we reach out to the divine, the divine will connect us to the right people with the resources to fund the ideas and assist us in making them a reality. Everything given to us is a seed of investment expected to fulfil one purpose or the other, he added.”

The work titled “Equality, a 25 x 30-inch fabric piece on canvas, depicts the fact that everyone has equal time, and what matters most is what we do with our time. While some misuse their time, others manage their time responsibly. The first gift that God gave each of us is the gift of time, and what we do with it matters. The other aspect of the work depicts structure. As individuals, we should create a structure around our talent.

One of the visitors to the exhibition, Abiola Kolawole, appreciated the work; she said it is pivotal to discover talent for a purposeful life, referring to Nigeria as a nation. “Art is a reflection of our society, and as a nation, we are yet to express our God given talent. As Africans, we have the idea, but we are just not tapping into it. If only we could tap into arts and tourism as a nation, we would forget about oil and gas as a source of revenue generation.

Jemimah Ebisuobo, a Medical Practitioner, said that Art is a form of therapy for healing both physical, mental and the soul. She appreciated the artwork, particularly the one titled “The Human and the Divine”, a fabric piece on canvas which resonates with her.

She said, “This artwork reminds us about our source, which is God, particularly when you are going through a lot, you have to reach out to God because God is the source. The hand as seen in the artwork represents hope irrespective of every circumstance, and the Dove represents divinity and the Holy Spirit, our helper.

She narrated her personal experience on how God restored hope to her in her lowest time back in the university. “In my university, I almost dropped out of school because of a lack of funds for my fees. I even stopped praying at some point, but whenever I reached out to my mother, she always assured me that God would come through, and he did come through for me. I could recall how I was sent out of the exam hall because I couldn’t pay my fees, but I went to pray to God in tears and also sowed a seed, and when the result was out, miraculously, I had passed.

The curator Stephanie Ohwo said the artist intends to pass a message through the exhibition about talent, gift and time. Emmanuel Bankole uses different symbols to drive home the message, particularly the recurring dove in most of the works.

Speaking from a religious background, one can say that the dove represents the Holy Spirit, but for another, it could be your conscience, and every fabric piece on canvas has a sense of direction. Even when you don’t know what the next step could be, there is always a sense of direction on how you use your gift and time.

She added, I don’t think gifts or talent should be used for ourselves, but for everybody. I think the artist is trying to talk about how we all have our gifts. Sometimes there is a restricting idea behind talent, as we view it as what we can do with our hands, but it spans through other mediums. Like the work, equality has the concept of the Hour Glass, Skeleton, and the Human figure. The skeleton can be described as the opposite of the living, and it’s funny that the skeleton is the figure holding the hourglass.

This means that there is a connection between Life and Death, and time is the only thing standing between us.