By Onyeka Ezike

“Life is your canvas, not your hiding place” was the theme of the second solo exhibition by Adaeze Charlyn Udom, a young talented artist, full of energy and passion.

The exhibition is a collection of thought-provoking works that explore themes of courage, transformation, and the beauty of living authentically, which ran from 7-8 December at the Gemini Art Gallery, Lagos Island.

The exhibition celebrates bold creativity through diverse mediums, inviting viewers to reflect on life as an open canvas, ready to be filled with the vibrance of dreams, experience, and emotion.

On display were 25 artworks with different titles, from the motivational energy of ‘’it’s Possible’’ to the layered textures of “Courage,” each piece tells a story of resilience, identity, and self-expression.

Works such as “Expand your Horizon” and “Zen” demonstrate a call to individual mastery in manifesting life goals with courage, painted by deep personal narratives but not limited by them.

The monumental “solitude on you’, “street” and the dynamic composition of “Formation” encapsulate moments of reflection and transformation. Each of the works showcased carries some visual allure.

 These pieces encourage viewers to step out of their comfort zones, break free from limitations, and embrace the infinite possibilities of their existence.

Among the showcased artwork was titled ‘’Sisterliness’’, a 48×36-inch Acrylic on Canvas, that depicts the bond, support, and unity in diversity among women. The message of this work is to project the bond women should have in society.

 She said, “The reason behind this artwork is the bond that women should have, people say that women don’t like each other, and some say that men are against them, that women are the ones suffering because men are against them, and women are against each other.’’

The artist uses the work to promote some of the beautiful relationships that she has had with women. Women support each other’s strength, bonding together, and a kind of appreciation of this sisterliness going on, and the ones that she is encouraging.

The idea behind this work is to encourage women to support each other and bond together as sisters, bringing unity in diversity among women.

Another work of art on display was the ‘black Woman is Beautiful’, a 40×48-inch acrylic on canvas. The work was featured in my last solo exhibition and it was the most expensive art in my previous exhibition.

“If I love a particular artwork, I do not care about the price of the work. I love this work because am based on African development and Nigeria’s development is essential for us to celebrate our culture; the foundation of our crises in Africa because we lack self-identity.

‘’Our crisis in Africa is a result of lack of self-identity as African. As an artist, I always try to celebrate Africa in my work. I use my work to preach the gospel that we are as good as everyone else.’’

‘’Some time ago, someone said that Nigerians are not doing much, that we are not creative, and we are not inventing. And I was like that’s not true. Historically, Africa is the first heritage of civilization. So if you do not know who you are, how can you know what you need to become? ‘’It’s from this concept that I use my artwork to preach black is beautiful, black is intelligent, and black is creative.

“As an artist, I remain focused on my path, as I try as much as possible to socialize. For me, it is 90% focus and 10% social. I always try to schedule my activities to enable me to align myself to what is very important.” Time is Power, time is evidence of what you are trying to become.

Many of us know what we want, but we think that our brain is big enough to serve us without reminder, No, we must always remind ourselves of what we want always.’’

Heart, a 40 x 30 inches acrylic canvas, with a message on Love. ‘’This work depicts love, because am big on Love, the love of God, the Love of Family, mentors, mentees, and Purpose. I used this work to pass a message on Love and forgiveness, am a fan of forgiveness. You have to let go of sentiment, bitterness, and anger.

The artist preaches on the Love of God, the Love of Humanity, and the Love of Passion. She said, ‘’ These three aspects of LOVE, if well coined, you will be a better person. The love of passion is very important because you need to love what you do, there is no way you will not love what you do, and succeed in it. Love makes you love the person next to you for who they are while expecting more from them.

Also forgiveness, not holding on to bitterness, and letting things go.

“Art means attention and expression to me. When people ask me how they can be bold, I tell them that am a very shy person but am adventurous and I want to always express my talent, I do not want to live in regrets. I ask them, do you want to hold on to the shy you or do you want to go into the future to express yourself, your talent, and your dreams? And for me, that is what art means and we are all artists. If life is a canvas and not a hiding place for every one of us, it means that the earth is the canvas and we are the artists of our lives.’’

One of the interesting paintings in her work is titled ‘’Courage’’. A 40 x 40-inch acrylic collage, the work depicts her purpose.

She said, ‘’I paint what I live by and what my goals are. I honestly do not think you can be happy without courage, you might try to be contented most of the time, but there is no true happiness without courage. The wisdom of our African warriors should be in us.’’

According to Adaeze, she said, “You are what you know. If you say you are bold and courageous without the right information, people will call you a fool, people will say you are ignorant because you are going to do the wrong things and take the wrong steps and direction with the wrong information.

Information is so important, it is the foundation for knowledge, when you are equipped with the right information, people will be dazzled by your success and progress.’’

‘’Just like we were taught TMC totally Man concept in Covenant University, this course teaches about your soul, spirit, and body. It was in this course in my year one, that we were taught Purpose, and asked the question ‘What is your purpose’. The lecturer told us to go home and write down what our purpose on earth is all about, and I was seventeen years old then.’’

Speaking at the exhibition, Head of Businesses Development National Inland Water Ways Authority (NIWA), Mr Micheal Ogunshola, said, ‘’I am not surprised at what am seeing on display here, because Adaeze is a very passionate person, she is a goal getter, she believes on what she wants, she goes for it, pursuing it with all her strength. She is very energetic and industrious. We are proud of her, and we always support her in what she does.’’

Also speaking at the exhibition was the CEO of the Gemini Art Gallery, Mr. Akinnire Raphael, he said, ‘’Adaeze is a self-taught artist, very passionate about arts and willing to learn. The exhibition is a celebration of her personal growth, resilience, and the transformative power of Art. Her work embodies the essence of being self-taught, bold, authentic, and filled with emotion. We believe in the power of art to heal, inspire, and challenge the status quo. This is more than just an exhibition, we visited her studio, saw her artworks, and were impressed, even though there were some corrections, which she quickly adjusted. As for us, this is more than an exhibition.’’ 

Adaeze Charlyn Udom holds a first and second degree in Policy and Strategic Studies, from Covent University and a third in view. She is also a Paris-trained artist with a profound passion for creative expression. She is also a staff of the National Inland Water Ways Authority (NIWA) and the CEO of the Green Hope Youth Empowerment Initiative.