Fact File: Addressing environmental issues with art

The eight-person exhibition makes a case for proper waste management and conservation to save humanity from an uncertain future caused by improperly disposed litter.

FROM Sunday, August 22, art lovers will be treated to 24 exquisite, thought-provoking artworks on environmental responsibility made from recycled materials by eight artists in an exhibition titled ‘Fact File’ opening at Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Unlike ‘Ajorin: Dancemetalphor’ that the Centre organised last year and featured leading metal artists, ‘Fact File’ will display works made from fabric, plastic, nylon, bottles, tire, flip-flops and lead wires. Nigeria Machine Tools, Trustbanc, The Lake Yard, and Recycle Apostles (REAP) are supporting it.

The resourceful Tayo Olayode, Olanrewaju Tejuoso, Samson Akinnire, Abu Momogima, Uzoma Samuel Anyawu, Ernest Nkwocha, Yusuf Durodola and Lateef Olajumoke are all showing. They are giving a fillip to the art of recycled objects by breathing new life into materials that people generally assume are worthless.

“Fact File will spark a positive change in people’s subconscious thinking to promote and contribute to the planet’s welfare as they are marvelled by the second life the exhibiting artists have given these belittled resources. And as a consequence, reducing the amount of waste generated. It is a project that focuses, first of all, on the sustenance of healthy earth, the longevity of wealthy human lives, and the promotion of inexpensive waste management through art,” the curator, Ovie Omatsola explained.

He added that ‘Fact File’s vision is to exploit “creative power in providing insights, awareness adequately, and inspire Nigerians and the rest of the world to be more responsible now and in the future in reducing waste and imbibe the habit of reusing what they can and recycling their unusable through art.”

At a recent press preview, the artists (showing three works each) gave a peep into what they are offering at the exhibition that will run until September 12.

Durodola, a multidisciplinary artist whose genre blurs the boundaries of painting, recycle and up-cycle, and performance/video/photography art, is showing ‘The Owner’s Corner’, ‘Who Impregnates the Earth’ and ‘You Ain’t Hate Me, Did You. His recycling practice focuses on materials threatening environmental sustainability and channels them to address infrastructural decline, waste management, and environmental pollution. The 3-D work, ‘Who Impregnates the Earth’, for instance, depicts a woman with a lot of trash in her belly. The garbage is old newspapers, recycled plastic from automobiles, toys and pet plastic. “We are impregnating the earth with indiscriminate disposal of waste, and we should be expecting a birth in the form of erosion and others. These are the fallouts of our action,” he said.

Olajumoke, renowned for his enigmatic upcycled art pieces, will show ‘Reality’, ‘Dialogue’ and ‘Peaceful Co-existence’, all addressing environmental issues caused by our actions and inactions.

Edo State indigene and metal artist, Oshioma, uses disparate materials, including car wipers and winders, to make ‘Eko for Show’, ‘Queen of the Carnival’ and ‘Yesterday’s Promises, Today’s Lies’ all addressing different environmental and political issues. For the artist, ecological and political issues are intertwined and should be discussed jointly.

Ajegunle, born and raised Samson Akinnire, is an experimentalist who believes in expansion through discovery. His creative ideas originated from harvesting “wastes” of many kinds: nailed, glued, cast, carved, welded, tied, cut, sliced, grind, punched, beaten, woven, stretched, burnt, painted etc. assembled with screws and nail perforations to create art. He is showing four works under a series in ‘Fact File’. They are ‘On my Birthday’, ‘Innocent’, ‘Birthday Party’ and ‘Innocent 2’, all depicting children in contrast to the female figures the artist usually uses.

Painter, photography and multidisciplinary artist, Anyanwu’s untitled works featuring in the show are made from waste fabrics and affirm his interest in sustainable development.

Olayode, a full-time studio artist with over 20 years of practice, currently has the biggest standing art installation in Nigeria and the third in West Africa, at around 60 feet tall. The artist, whose works span the worlds of abstract, realist, and surrealist expression, will show two artworks in three parts. His ‘This City is not for me’ features flip-flops, showing human destruction of the environment.

Given the line-up of artists and works, the excited Omatsola couldn’t help a little boast. “’Fact File’ will be the most momentous and artistically memorable recycled art show of its kind in Lagos, Nigeria, Africa, and by extension the world,” he gushed.

Omatsola also solicited more support for artists addressing environmental concerns. “For galleries and artists to continue to permanently protect the earth, human, and wildlife from the hazards of litter using their creativity, the contribution of selfless individuals and organisations is crucial.”

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