Artists reinvent culture and togetherness in “Deconstructing Unity Exhibition”
By Joan Odafe
Artists have cast a fresh light on unity in a thought-provoking exhibition that broke down long-held assumptions about communal identity and cultural cohesion of daily Nigerian life.
The ongoing exhibition is being hosted by Happ Circle Gallery in the National Museum, Onikan in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the artists whose works are being showcased are: Moses Oghagbon, Klaranze Okhide, Kunle Ogunfuyi and Abdulrazaq Ahmed.
The exhibition, tagged, ‘Deconstructing Unity’, will end on April 30.
The artists will be showing various aspects of the Argungu Fishing Festival, and the gentle bonds of a community built on faith and shared purpose.
The Curator of the exhibition, Moses Ohiomokhare, said the event, which is showcasing 40 artworks, 10 each from all the artists, took about six months to curate.
He said the exhibition, conceived by one of the artists, Oghagbon, was driven by his inspiration to infuse a novel perspective into the Argungu Festival series, which he had showcased over the past 21 years.
“Deconstructing Unity may initially appear perplexing when attempting to grasp the theme of this exhibition, as the term “deconstructing” pertains to the process of reversing or revealing the unspoken truths that often elude our awareness.
“In this context, the artists are adeptly guiding us through the fissures of our quoditian existence, urging us to scrutinise the very framework of our constructed realities.
“The goal here isn’t to celebrate unity as a fixed ideal. It’s to examine the fractures, the overlooked routines and symbols that hold or fail to hold us together,” he said.
Oghagbon told NAN that the main purpose of the Argungu Fishing Festival was to create unity by bringing ethnic groups together.
According to Oghagbon, his acrylic piece, Man and Time, shows the preparation that takes place the day before the festival, which he said was one of the mysteries of the event.
He said working with other artists was also symbolic in showcasing the essence of the exhibition and spreading the message of unity faster.
Another artist whose works were showcased, Abdulrazaq Ahmed, said the exhibition was about bringing different segments that come together to form unity.
Ahmed, who is a multi-functional artist, said apart from fishing, there were other activities including wrestling, dance and horse riding, coming together to form the unity in the Argungu Festival.
One of his works, “The Gourd of Life”, a harmonious fusion of natural fibres and a resplendent gourd, delves into the intricate beauty of belonging.
The artwork urged viewers to contemplate the complex nature of their own connections and affiliations.
An art collector, Billy Osemwegie, said the exhibition was a testament of how art inspires unity and breeds unity through culture.
Osemwegie, who was also the Chairman of the event, said: “Art is a universal language that you speak.
“With art, you don’t care about who made it, the religion of the person or the tribe.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Folasade Adeniran
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