As books, arts and culture lovers eagerly countdown to the 25th edition of the Lagos Book and Arts Festival, organizers have disclosed they will be staging six visual arts exhibition projects. The Explainer gathered that the festival, which started in 1999 would showcase diverse visual arts forms, including ceramics, paintings, installation, cartoons, and performance arts.
On Tuesday, November 14, which is the second of the seven-day festival, five of the exhibition projects would formally open. The sixth (6th) exhibition will open on Wednesday, November 15. Updates from the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) indicate that on Tuesday November 14, from 2pm, the festival, which will be held at the iconic Freedom Park will feature the annual Visual Arts Dialogue.
A statement signed by CORA Program Chair, Jahman Anikulapo describes this year’s dialogue as an engagement, which will explore the relationship between artists and their collectors and patrons. “The session will have a keynote and a panel of eminent discussants.
The working theme is: “Artists, where are your works?” The conversation is aimed at sensitizing artists to pay closer attention in tracking the movement of their artwork once it has left their studio into the hand of the collector.”
CORA also notes that the focus on prodding artists to locate their works is essentially to emphasize the importance of documentation in the practice of the artist. The Explainer understands that the keynote speech will be delivered by Dr. Kolade Osinowo, eminent painter and former Director of the School of Art, Design and Printing, Yaba College of Technology, YabaTech; later appointed In February 1992, as the Deputy Rector of the College.
The Session will be chaired by Dr. Newton Jibunoh, renowned art collector and founder of the 40-year-old Didi Museum, reputed as the oldest privately-owned museum in the country. The session is curated by the Provost of Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, Dr. Ademola Azeez.
For the festival exhibition, the list includes: Conceptual: “Timeless Memories: Elastic Effects 2023 – The Man Who Didn’t Die in the Face of Tyranny” — an immersive experimental exhibition, which seeks to visually interpret the book, “The Man Died,” originally published in 1971. It is a continuation of the tribute series in honour of Africa’s illustrious man of letters and first Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka.
In its 6th season at the LABAF, Timeless Memories will feature a series of prison cell installations and symbolic representations designed to foreground the prison experience. Furthermore, 27 illustrations, printed on a unique toilet-paper-like material, will vividly depict the challenges the protagonist faced during his time in confinement. It is curated by Oludamola Adebowale of Asiri Journal.”
Festival goers will also be feted with a showcase of TheJunkmanofAfrica’s uniquely conceived mix-match of themes and materials that captures human conditions through a probe into history and philosophical musings. Aside from a huge installation to be mounted in the Food Court arena of the Freedom Park, a set of works will also grace a section of the Freedom Park Museum Gallery.
Festival attendees will also see a group exhibition by the Visions in Clay Community of ceramic artists with the aim of projecting the current trajectory of their ceramic craft and “let more people notice we are here!” The participating artists use ceramic history, culture and traditions to bolster craft, experimentation, conceptual strategies, and relational approaches to materiality.
Lending their voices to tell the stories lingering outside the public’s sight.” It is curated by Olubunmi Atere and Azeez Afeez Adeoti. This will be followed by an exhibition of editorial cartoons by the Cartoonists Association of Nigeria, CARTAN. 35 Cartoonists are participating in what has been described as the rare showcase of commentaries on the state of the nation, especially the troubling political trajectory in the past 24 years of democracy.
Featuring cartooning, comic animation and other communication art, the exhibition is also to draw attention to issues and matters of deep concern to the people.
In the arena of performance, I Am A Fish From The Sea – by Jelili Olorunfunmi Atiku will be on offer. The performance will read and walk through the minds of political leaders, analyzing and knowing their philosophies, policies, ideas, and actions as they rule.
“The performance employs techniques of walking and sensing where audiences engage in collective healing and renewed energy, strength and enthusiasm, connection and contemplating the qualities of political leaders”. Next performance is Maami Dey Chop Akara– a performance by Olufela Omokeko, which is curated by Yusuf Durodola.
“Inspired by the literary work of Ben Okri – Food, Ritual and Death; and the utilization of Beans Cake “Akara” as a point of departure, the performance shall invite audience into a sensorium journey through taste and smell; where the selection, peeling baking, frying and eating are towards creating a visual epitaph of resistance and reset towards an egalitarian society void of greed, war, crimes and uncertainties.”
