CBCIU celebrates Osogbo Art Movement @ 50

THE Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU), Osogbo, has unfolded plans for a grand celebration of Nigeria’s world renowned Osogbo Art Movement with a two-city exhibition.

Themed  50 Years of Osogbo Art, the shows will happen in Osogbo and Abuja and will feature captivating works by members of the school, including its oldest ambassadors,  Chief Jimoh Buraimoh and the Eesa of Iragbiji, Chief Muraina Oyelami.

The preview of the Osogbo show will hold tomorrow, (January 16), while the main exhibition opens on Tuesday, at the CBCIU.  The centre’s journal will also be launched at the occasion, while the exhibition will thereafter run till January 23.

The exhibition will move to Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Abuja, on January 24 and will be curated by the Artistic Director of the gallery, Jeff Ajueshi.

Explaining why it is marking the landmark event, the CBCIU in a statement said: “By its very success, the Osogbo Art experiment proved that tradition can be  modernized from within; that in certain fields of cultural practice; not certificates  but talent is what matters most;

“If there had been no Osogbo Art Movement, there probably would not be CBCIU located in Osogbo today, or certainly, it would have been located in another town or country. CBCIU is in many ways a product and beneficiary of the movement.

“Finally, in celebrating 50 years of Osogbo Art Movement, we shall also be remembering and celebrating Georgina and UlliBeier and contributions of various artists to the global art community.”