By Henry Akubuiro
The Content Art Gallery, located within the upscale Adam and Eve luxury wares complex at 8, Isaac John Street, Ikeja GRA, Lagos, will be reverberate with a select group of seven female artists in an exhibition entitled “Through My Lens” holding from September 24 to September 30, 2022.
The seven females —Naomi Oyeniyi, Bunmi Oyesanya, Taiye Erewele, Nelly Idagba, Funmi Arabambi, Ogochukwu Ejiofor and Faith Michael —are a blend of established names, mid-career and up-and-coming artists.
Lekan Onabanjo, the curator of the exhibition, informed that the “artists whose works are going to feature in ‘Through My Lens’ have been selected carefully to reflect the dynamism of female creative professions in Nigeria. The theme of the exhibition provided the artists an opportunity to share individual’s views on women’s perspectives of life, in general, but using the medium of visual arts.”
Hinting that the gallery would increase its exhibition from once to twice or more yearly, the curator recalled that the gallery started as a theme for regular exhibition at Adam & Eve when artworks were displayed among the luxury items at the complex, but “now, those exhibitions have generated enough interests to merit a gallery space to expand the growing art appreciation of the people within Ikeja and beyond.”
Bunmi Oyesanya, one of the exhibiting artists, is described as an energetic and enigmatic artist, passionate about issues surrounding women. She is a multimedia artist who effectively handles oils, pastels, watercolours, mixed media, pen and ink. She is the Founder of Multi Media Foundation for Artists.
Taiye Erewele is an experimental artist, who specialises in painting, and is known for her portraits. Taiye is good at abstract representations and an intuitive use of colours, lines, and textures, among other elements. She explores compelling issues surrounding the female gender drawing from her own experience.
Naomi Oyeniyi, who specialises in painting, has been involved in some eye-popping art projects, like the creation of Guinness logo on a painted wall for the Guinness Flavour Rooms Event and participated in the Ojodu-Berger mural commissioned by former Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode. Her projections in the future is to establish an identity that could be reckoned with and also establish a platform for young artists to engage themselves creatively
Ejiofor Ogochukwu’s art has kept revolving from painting on canvas to wall installations. She likes exploring waste materials, especially ones found around her, little wonder Waste to Wealth as one of her art slogans.
Nelly Idigba combines legal practice with art, the latter which he grew up with, expressing it through oil paintings and pencil drawings. Her works mostly centre around women and girl-child.
On her part, Funmi Arabambi’s paintings attempt to depict life through the combination of lines, forms and colours, while seeking to document scenes, moments, mood and share the beauty of nature mostly rendered in femininity themes. Her passion for human figures is often executed by creating a high contrast and vibrance by using conspicuously unblended brushstrokes.
Faith Michael, the youngest of the group, is a budding artist with studio training from established artists, and is currently with Simple Plans Studio run by the legendary Wallace Ejoh.
The Proprietress of Adam & Eve and The Content Art Gallery, Mrs Modupe Ogunlesi, said the forthcoming exhibition was on her behest to mark her 70th birthday. “This year, I am turning 70, and I told Lekan (the curator) that we should have female artists only to showcase that I am a woman. We didn’t have females during our first exhibition, because we didn’t have female artists at that level. So we want females who are enthusiastic, because you have to know they can stay the course,” she said.