Abuja comes alive with the Numero Unoma’s La Nigritude art exhibition at the Thought Pyramid Gallery from the 28th -30th November, 2016.
In a statement signed by the artist herself, the exhibition will open with a centerpiece dedicated to Ken Saro Wiwa Jr (1968—2016) and his father, Ken Saro Wiwa (1941—1995). Ken Jr would have been 48 on the day of the opening.
“Complementing and amplifying the paintings will be a series of intimate time-lapse photographs of popular locations, poetry and odes to Nigeria, by spoken word virtuosos, Jumoke Verissimo and Soonest Nathaniel Scholes.
“There will also be a celebration of the humble and ubiquitous bench. The wooden benches, on which our country and our continent are run, serve as central pieces, artworks on which to sit and rest whilst taking in the visual cornucopia of the exhibition,” she said.
Unoma, who is also known as No1, added that the pieces are not shy of colour, or texture, or punch. “Symbols and graphics are employed to convey messages that often seem vibrant and innocuous, whilst taking sniper shots at those things that invariably define our society and cultures.
“Also in the exhibition, money, marriage, status and power will mirror their prominence in everyday Nigerian life. Philosophy, humour, and angst, as well as generosity and hospitality, also find their place in drawing parallels with the experiences of the ‘ordinary’ Nigerian.
“The prevalence of consumerism, the huge impact of technology and the desperation of migration, or even just immigration, all find expression in a satirical collection that takes the edge off introspection and self-critique.
Unoma’s bio and inspiration
“My work is born of the vast wealth of energy and inspiration gathered from a life of travel, work and relationships in various parts of the world.
“I am mother, wife, sister, lover, grandmother, creator, friend, guardian angel and nemesis all rolled into one.
“I approach each work respecting the process, layering on texture, vibrancy and color to give life to the subject matter I am treating. Inherently, my method is organic in its development, and I would like to think that this lends itself to the raw messages therein. The work is sometimes visually misunderstood, as being of shock value, and subtleties are at times missed, simply because of my no holds barred approach.
“The media I use mimic the technologies of my lifetime, the analog and the digital, employing paper, or a tactile canvas as comfortably as an intangible digitally manipulated projection with audio augmentation.
“These are the building blocks of the creative world in which I have developed: vinyl LP’s, cassettes, mini discs, mp3s, mp4s, 35mm film, 6×7 medium format silver halide, jpegs and pdf’s.
“I am that Nigerian – that mixed race Nigerian – who, having had the chance to hold German, British and American citizenship, have found my Nigerian passport, (more than a green card, it is a green book), the symbol of my belonging, to be more than enough to represent my identity.
“We Nigerians know that we cannot profess that deep and voluminous love we have for our country without the counterbalance of our pet hates and real resentments, those things that represent the other side of our relationship with our young troubled nation, indeed with our very identity.
“They are inextricable, and will remain so, along this trajectory of so-called development toward (again, so-called) civilization on which we presently find ourselves.”
