He is one of Nigeria’s most prolific artists, Fred Archibong who bagged the Federal Government’s National Productivity Order of Merit Award a few weeks ago will on July 1 mark his 50th birthday.

Born on July 1, 1959, in Lagos, Archibong at 50 is a unique celebration of an unassumed artist who has taken Nigerian art beyond the shores of the country. Although he is not the regular artist that the society knows too well. Archibong has used his creative expertise to impact positively on other mainstream sectors of the economy.

According to the Planning Committee of Fred Archibong at 50 events, “having someone like Archibong rewarded by the Federal Government is indeed a boost to the re-branding effort of the country. He is a shinning example of productivity and an individual who places high value on his profession. Though an artist, Archibong is currently the Chairman of an infrastructure company known as BHS International, the concessionaires of Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS, Lagos.”

As part of events marking the artist’s birthday on Wednesday, July 1, 2009 a dinner would hold in Abuja while an art exhibition of the artist’s works, would hold simultanueously in Lagos, Cross River and Abuja to celebrate the artist. The exhibition in Lagos is expected to hold at the Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS Lagos. Other events, which include a book launch, will stretch from July through December 2009.

It is important to note that BHS did not emerge as a surprise and successful bidder of TBS out of several bidders including banks and a state government and some multinationals: the experience of the chairman of the company as a former Commissioner of the Security and Exchange Commission, SEC as well as his knowledge of infrastructure based on BHS’s relationship with Germany based infrastructure giant, Asytec, among others crystalised to produce the TBS concession.
Responsible for producing more than 50 per cent of public artworks, particularly sculptures, across the country between 1980s to 1990s, Archibong’s works are also known across the world.

Some of these works include a sculpture of metal, steel, concrete and fibre glass, measuring 100 feet at the entrance of Abuja, FCT; two dimensional fibre-glass murals of multicolour beads and cast aluminium at the Central Bank of Nigeria; various artistic embellishment at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Abuja; some external sculptures as well as embellishments at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lagos.

While explaining his sojourn in the arts, the artisdt said “ I had exhibited in all six continents of the world, and as a result of this creativity, I was appointed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, as a Federal Commissioner of the Nigerian Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) to enable me contribute my artistic input to corporate and financial issues.”

Archibong has exhibited in diverse places among which were the Sandton Convention Center, Sandton, South Africa; Cob Galleries in Atlanta, U.S.A, BAT Center in Durban, South Africa; at the opening of the Akintola Williams, Deloitte & Touche’s Complex in Lagos and Durban Hilton Hotel, Durban, South Africa.

Also at the Diplomatic front, he had a show at the European Union Commission, Brussels, Belgium in 2006.
At that show, the artist voted for peace at the global level. For his exploits in the gallery covering over two decades, Archibong lent his wealth of creativity to peace using his solo exhibition Peace and Cultural Development, held at La Galleria-Europaid Co-operation Office, Brussels, Belgium from May 29 to June 2006.

Some of the works he exhibited include paintings, oil on canvas, sculptures and mixed media. Peace, Reflection of Images, Suru-Lere (Patience is Rewarding), and Human Rights Expression, were some of the sculptures in metal and wood. In the oil on canvas medium were Abstraction of the Parrot, Market Women II, Regalia, Fura Milk Sellers, The Rural Maiden, Traditional Dancers and Motherly Care among over 50 works presented at the show.

In 2006, Archibong’s solo exhibition which focused on art as a tool in development was held at the lobby of Nicon Hilton Hotel, Abuja for one month featuring about 150 works in 14 different media and spanning a period of 23 years in the career of the artist.

Archibong’s relationship with Nicon Hilton Hotel, Abuja dates back to over 20 years ago when the hotel was being conceptualised. He recalled “ I was working directly with the then Managing Director of Nicon Hilton Hotel, Yinka Lijadu on designing, construction and interior / exterior decors of the Hotel. His gallery, Fred Archibong Gallery was responsible for the production of artistic embellishment and the opening plaque of the hotel.

And during the Commonwealth of Government Meeting, CHOGM 2003 Abuja, the gallery also assisted the hotel in presenting 52 original sculptural pieces used for the suites of the heads of states that attended the event. In 2005, the two decades of relationship was crowned when the hotel hosted the solo exhibition of the artist entitled Re-orientating Creativity for Human Development.

During that exhibition, the artist stressed his argument of creativity as the foundation for development: “A people without effective use and development of its arts, culture and tourism, are without direction and growth, hence, we are at cross-roads. As of today, we have ignored our simplest form of creating jobs for economic growth of our people by not developing or pay attention to our arts, culture and tourism.
Archbong attended Federal Government College, Warri, Nigeria, and School of Art Institute in Chicago, where he received his formal training. In 1989, he won the best Art Studio Africa Award courtesy of the British Council and the Commonwealth Institute.