By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – AN internationally acclaimed artist, Victor Ehikhamenor has thrown a new push to arts enthusiasts in Edo State and beyond with the holding of Black Muse Arts festival which is structured to bring the past in the way of life of the people into the present.

The event which attracted visitors from all over the world the organisers said was inspired by Professor Wole Soyinka’s work, “Dance of the Forests”

The festival also saw the formal unveiling of the Azagba Pavilion and Sculpture Park where curators, lovers of art works expressed their satisfaction with the project.

Speaking at the unveiling, Ehikhamenor, explained that the festival’s theme “Let the Forest Dance” reflects an urgent call for environmental consciousness.

“In ancient Benin, sacred groves were sanctuaries of both spirit and biodiversity. Through this festival, we are asking: how can art help us listen to our environment again and protect what is sacred?

“The opening of Black Muse Arts festival where we have people from all over the world, we have great works that speak to our heritage, that speaks to what is African sculpture, what is African installation, what is African Arts, how do we define it and what is the synergy between classic African art and contemporary African Art that is what you are seeing here in Benin City

“For years, I have carried the dream of a sculpture park, an open space where art, community and environment could exist in dialogue. With the Black Muse Art Festival, that dream comes alive in Benin City, a place steeped in history yet ever ready to welcome new visions.”

Also speaking, a Curator at the Azagba Pavilion and Sculpture Park Renee Mboya from Nairobi, Kenya said the event is to show that contemporary art can be used as a platform to advise questions of restitution and heritage in general adding that it would be beneficial form young artists.

She said “It is highly beneficial for young artists because we are proposing new methodologies, new conversations around contemporary art, nontraditional ways of displaying work, nontraditional ways of speaking about arts and culture, but then also an opportunity for them to see artists that are prominent on the international stage represented here in their city.”