By PRISCA SAM-DURU

The maiden Italian-Nigerian Contemporary art exhibition tagged, Cross Currents organised by Temple Productions of Nigeria and M Contemporary Art of Italy came to a close on Friday with display of the finest collection of works from a total of twenty prominent Nigerian and Italian artists.

Meka Olowole, Head corporate Communications Oando Plc, Ego Boyo, Marta Boeri and Marinu Paduano

Nigeria is the second country in Africa after Egypt to enjoy this collaborative privilege with Italian artists as similar exhibition titled, Under Italian Eyes held last year. The first part of the plan for organising the cross cultural art exhibition as revealed by the Italian curators, Marta Boeri and Marinu Paduano was to export Italian culture to other countries and the second, to strengthen the cultural ties between Italy and other countries of which Nigeria is privileged to be among as arrangements are being made to feature Nigerian artists in an art exhibition in Italy, hence, the creation of new connections and foundation for new avenues of mutual influence.

It is also an opportunity according to the Italian Curators, to “energise the ongoing metamorphosis of Italian art which has been going on for decades since Italian artists started reacting to the transformations that took place.. … with the process of industralisation, technological innovation, social change and the rise of new media… photography, cinema etc,”

At the exhibition which was open to the general public for 2 days at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, extraordinarily impressive works of Matteo Basile, Angelo Bellobono, Fillipo Centenari Francesco Cervelli, Alberto Di Fabio, Stefania Fabrizi, Omar Galliani, Jonathan Guaitamacchi, Adriano Nardi and Davider Salvadei all Italians and their Nigerian counterparts Abiodun Olaku, Kolade Oshinowo, Alex Nwokolo, Uche Edochie, Oliver Enweonwu, James Iroha, Chidi Kwubiri, Rom Isichei, Mudi Yahaya and the only female among the Nigerian artists, Peju Alatise, aimed at addressing the relationship between identity, self-discovery and history from diverse perceptions through thought provoking visual narratives which showcased the progression of Nigerian and Italian contemporary arts covering the areas of social, economic, political and pop-cultural references were on display.

Issues addressed

Succinctly put by the duo of Oliver Enweonwu and Bethabel Soetan (Omenka Gallery, Lagos, who were the Nigerian curators,”In juxtaposing art works by Nigerian and Italian contemporary artists, we collectively examine the varying styles, techniques and philosophies employed by the artists to addressing issues of belonging and identity. Though these may be universal concepts, the complexities of Nationality, history and ethnicity offer greatly differing perspectives.

Continuing they noted that “Nigerian contemporary art continues to be influenced by classical Nigerian art and at the same time, often fuses ideologies with Western concepts thus creating a unique contemporary Nigerian visual language.”

The exhibition which presented a unique platform for exchange of huge Italian and Nigerian traditions, presented similarities in the experimentation and employment of diverse media ranging from acrylic on canvas and paper, oil on canvas, mix media photography, print on aluminum, pencil and gold on wood, spraypaint on canvas, etc, as well as similarities in the quality of works which were portrayals of class, indicating the fact that talented Nigerian artists are well equipped to stand up to their counterparts across border. Works such as Forest Whispers and Divine Revelation by master artist Kolade Oshinowo which portrayed a “pluralist African society where enchanted forest inhabited by the spirits of our ancestry co-exists in a world where supplications and reverence to our creator are the order of the day”, with Matteo Basile’s Mystical Universe supporting the belief in the supernatural and other titles such as Peju’s Half of the Story, Oliver’s Broken Flight , Made in Nigeria, I could have done better, Mudi Yahaya’s Black Woman Unplugged series , Ophelia, Zona d’ombra, The special one, Reclamation, I Feel So Good, New York 02, Neurone Rosa n.5, Gabriele, Manthra, Ikapa, Diana’s Mirror, amongst others were on ground to treat the participants to imageries capturing themes that represent very important trends and influences that permeate contemporary art while engaging in a revolutionary journey into issues that confront individuals who are determined to get past life’s vicissitudes in other to objectively effect positive changes in the two countries.

The Nigerian artists who were carefully selected from across the geo-political zones according to the CEO of Temple Productions and one of the Nigerian pioneer actresses, Nwakaego Boyo, was for adequate representation of the uniqueness and variety of our culture”. Ego Boyo who spoke on reason for the collaboration, said the stunning art works which were directly sourced from the artists were chosen because they were in close relationship with those of the Italians in terms of style which enhances the exportation of Nigerian art.

The physical representation of and sponsorship of Cross Currents from three oil companies of great repute, Oando, Global Energy group and Agip, are indeed positive sign for Nigerian arts. It was highly encouraging to witness the three world class oil companies proclaiming in unison their commitment to give back to the community through arts, by donating part of the proceeds from the exhibition to charity.

More encouraging was how the oil companies prided themselves for partnering the art industry in Nigeria with the resolve to be associated with talents, creativity, potentials and resources of the Nation that can compete favourably with other artists all over the world. Their pledge to support the exportation of such laudable initiatives and quality works of this nature, no doubt, puts an end to the under-representation of Nigerian art at international art exhibitions.