Simeon Mpamugoh
The mood of the country seems to quieten everybody, but not for visual art masters. They believe the current state of affairs in the country offers artists, writers and scholars of history opportunities to paint, write and take notes, lest we wouldn’t get anywhere.
To give effect to this 21 influencers in art are exhibiting bodies of works at the third edition of La Floraison, Bloom 3. It grills and documents recent human evolution in Nigeria and other parts of the world. Tales of COVID-19 pandemic, which culminated in the lockdown, recent cases of #ENDSARS protests and Lekki Tollgate massacre dogged some of the artworks for the exhibition, which is not thematic.
It parades stellar line up of art masters in the cast of Abiodun Olaku, Sam Ovraiti, Bunmi Babatunde, Duke Asidere, Tola Wewe, Dominique Zinkpe, Diseye Tantua, Alex Nwokolo, Ato Arinze, Gerry Nnnubia, and Gab Awusa.
Others are Fidelis Odogwu, John Odeyemi, Reuben Ugbeine, Segun Aiyesan, Wallace Ejoh, Zinno Orara, Sam Ebohon, Joshua Nmesirionye, Joe Essien, and Abraham Uyovbisere. The 21 artists will be exhibiting works of different types, styles and mediums. The exhibition is on live view from November 28 to December 12, 2020, at Alexis Galleries, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Sponsored by Pepsi, Tiger, Indomie, Mikano, WAZOBIA TV, Cool FM, UPS, Haier Thermocool, Cobranet, Delta Airlines, Aina Blankson, The Homestores, Arzeh Integrated, Lost In Lagos and Art Café, the Curator and Founder Alexis Galleries, Patty Chidiac Mastrogiannis, explained at a preview at Alexis: “La Floraison, Bloom 3 is a group exhibition of paintings, mixed media and sculptures by 21 masters. Each artist will exhibit one work each; defined good and aesthetically pleasing works, working in a wide range of materials and styles.”
The virtual tour will be published on the gallery social media handles: instagram -alexisgalleries; facebook- Thehomestores/Alexis Galleries, she hinted, adding that part of the proceeds from the exhibition would be donated to the course of The Bricon Foundation, an NGO that supports patients and their families battling with cancer.
While Gab Awusa blooms in his usual female image where he presents a female entertainer from the South West, beating five drums at the same time, Essien’s work entitled Guardian Angel, is more of a social commentary, predicated on the October 20, 2020 killings at Lekki.
“It is almost impossible to be in an environment and not be influenced by it,” Zinno Orara noted. Orara is presenting two works, thus, allowing the curator the option of choosing one for the exhibition and keeping the second one in her gallery. They are titled: Beauty of Peace, and Standing Tall.
Olaku comes to the exhibition with a scenic work, essentially to offer the viewer succour, seeing what we went through within these past months. Nwokolo is bringing one of his old works, which he says could be seen as a bloom plant that would bring hope to the viewer, while Nnubia’s reflects how he managed to weather the storm of 2020, which, he says, came in droves. His work is a mixed media piece entitled The Year 2020: Against All Odds.