ARTSPLIT Presents its maiden MOCONA Auction — An Ode to Mastery
ARTSPLIT is delighted to present its maiden Modern and Contemporary Arts (MOCONA) Auction — an Ode to Mastery, a unique auction featuring works by leading Nigerian artists. Featuring Abidoun Olaku, Duke Asidere, Edosa Ogiugo, El Dragg Okwoju and Oliver Enwonwu, the works presented reveal an exploratory journey into artistic skill, medium and narrative.
Following the footsteps of artists such as Aina Onabolu, Ben Enwonwnu and Uche Okeke, these artists create works that manifest change and continuity — a response to a call to move forward, to explore new techniques and ideas, yet keep faith with the ancestors whose legacy they are reshaping and transforming. In the face of ongoing national and international challenges, these artists use their art to express resilience, inspire reflection and motivate change. Their works open a new horizon for the exploration of stylised figuration, considered abstraction and vivid expressions.
Abiodun Olaku employs the duality of light and shadows to metaphorically comment on universal aspects of human existence and reality. Described by his mentor, the late Yusuf Grillo as “primus inter pares”, Olaku’s artistic practice is a process of concentrated flow and an intersection of personal and shared lived experiences. His expansive oeuvre addresses social issues and critiques the times we live in. Through the use of the traditional medium of oil and suggestive titles, viewers are invited to scenes of stillness and solemn mood left open to interpretation.
Duke Asidere offers a fresh and challenging interpretation of abstraction and understanding the world we live in. On initial impression, his works appear to look like “scribbles and scratches” on the canvas, and a closer scrutiny immediately reflects his intention of social commentary. Asidere presents visual forms rooted in social issues on ethics, society, how people live and the essence of our being. He uses double entendre, humour and metaphor to animate present realities, most especially the state of Nigeria, and the complexities of human relationships and politics as a game of power and self interest. His works present a new consciousness and challenge us to consider the importance of understanding the root of our history and bring it into the present in order to progress.
An Ode to Mastery, a unique auction featuring works by leading Nigerian artists. Featuring Abidoun Olaku, Duke Asidere, Edosa Ogiugo, El Dragg Okwoju and Oliver Enwonwu, the works presented reveal an exploratory journey into artistic skill, medium and narrative.
Exploring intricate techniques of visible brushstrokes blended with the bare impression of form and vibrant colours, Edosa Oguigo takes his subject matter from human activity in the world around him. With a background in marketing, he produces dynamic compositions of contemporary life, portraits and landscapes that reference design aesthetics and art spontaneity. His paintings capture fleeting moments of life and inspire us to appreciate Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage in the era of globalization.
Looking at El-Dragg Okwoju’s works, one recalls the works of Professor Bruce Onobrakpeya: “For one to call himself an artist, one has to take a leadership role. Not just merely producing, but producing artworks which are backed by ideas and philosophies which are calculated to help upgrade and uplift the life of the people.” El-Dragg Okwoju engages his practice to bridge cultures and celebrate the African notion of beauty. His works demonstrate a prolific creative energy that draws inspiration from our indigenous culture.
Oliver Enwonwu predominantly creates figurative portraiture which ranges from realist to allegorical representations of contemporary, historical and mythological subjects. His paintings depict slightly elongated female figures in flowing garments, jewelry and confident postures. These fictional portraits are inspired by the influential “signares” of Senegal, who originated from the Island of Goree, and were “African and Afro-European women who owned property and achieved high social standing. A closer look at Enwonwu’s works nods to the conventions of Negritude, an anti-colonial cultural and political movement founded to reclaim the value of blackness and African culture. In the 1970s, Oliver’s father, the iconic Ben Enwonwu created female silhouette paintings geared towards exploring how the ideology of Negritude might be interpreted in visual imagery.
If you would like to learn more about ARTSPLIT and its future auctions, please email to info@artsplit.com or visit www.artsplit.com . You can also call or WhatsApp our mobile at +234(0)9088962169 .
