By Henry Akubuiro
The sociological home base of an artist says a lot about his artistic excursion. Chukwuemeka Michaels Osisiego grew up watching lawyers and judges squaring up in law courts on Kaduna, where he was born. Over time, he imbibed the culture of balance you often encounter in the scale of justice. Years later, Osisiego is exploring life’s intricate balance.
From May 14 – 28, 2022, Alexis Galleries, situated at 282, Akin Olugbade Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, will open its gate to all visitors enamoured of beautiful art as Osisiego unveils Balance, a solo exhibition featuring eight wood works.
Educated at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he studied Fine and Applied Art, Osisiego specialises in painting and works primarily with acrylic on wood panels. He likes working with burnt wood, too.
“The effect of burning the wood fascinates me a lot. Burning of woods goes through a process. The essence of burning the wood for my works is to preserve the works for a long life span,” he told journalists during the preview of the solo exhibition at Alexis Galleries.
The works in Balance seek to “maintain a stable line between law and order, stillness and movement, dearth and abundance, courage and cowardice, alienation and commitment,” said Mathew Oyedele, the curator.
Osisiego, too, affirmed: “In life, you don’t take things too far. Don’t do things in an extreme way; you need to consider balance.”
Shedding more light on the exhibition. Oyedele said the Nigerian society was filled with unrest, injustice, and religious squabbles, hence Osisiego had moved from his previous themes of spirituality, communication and reproduction, among others, to present the audience with works that advocate for courage and equilibrium in lieu of excess and recklessness.
Balance presents large scale, colourful wood panels with Uli, Nsibidi and spontaneous motifs from the artist as a continuation of his dedication to wooden exploration. The artist begins with purchasing woods derived from packing cases from imported containers. Thereafter, he cuts the woods into segments before subjecting them to other processes like burning, blowing, drawing, engraving, priming and painting.
To create a unique aesthetics, Osisiego deploys Uli, Nsibidi and other African motifs to expatiate, elaborate and deepen the narrative of his pieces. Don’t forget, he always strive for balance. The artist said: “I encapsulate balance in all my works. I teach the ability to share to maintain a balance. You must be talented in your chosen career or profession to achieve a balance. As an artist, I trade my business with a medical doctor, farmer, lawyer, among others.
“But when I need their services, I pay for it, because I cannot be an artist and at the same time a medical doctor. God has spread talents so that people can work and provide various goods or services to others to break monopoly.” He is inspired by nature, culture and his environment.
Patty Chidiac Mastrogiannis, founder, Alexis Galleries, informed the press that the artist had featured as part of a group exhibition of wood etching held in 2009. He hasn’t despaired since then as he “continues to probe the depth of wooden exploration and we are not surprised by the outcome of his pieces.”
His works in this exhibition, she added, “are testament to his observation of and relation with his environment, and we hope you see these and more as you relate and emerge with the pieces on display.”
Proceeds of the exhibition will be given to Mother Theresa, a non-governmental organisation.
The exhibition is supported by Pepsi, Tiger, Indomie, Mikano, The Guardian, AMG Logistics, Haier Thermocool, U.P.S, Aina Blankson, Lost in a City, Cobranet, Art Cafe, Wazobia TV, Ashir Design, Nigerian Info FM and Rentokil Boecker.
