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By Prisca Sam-Duru
For over four decades, Duke Asidere, one of Nigeria’s most celebrated contemporary artists has been consistent with creating delectably highbrow works.
His creations usually cover diverse topical issues in society with strong global aesthetic appeal. Asidere expresses himself boldly through a wide variety of genres including pencil work, engravings, oil and acrylic, pastels and even transparencies, with various compositions of the human figure, abstraction and urban landscapes as end product. It is based on the ingenuity of the cerebral artist, renowned for his vigorous and unrestrained social commentaries projected through thickly layered oil on canvas portraits of classical figures, that his works are being showcased in the inaugural exhibition of Oda Art’s opening of its second art space, O’DA Art Gallery in Victoria Island, Lagos.
‘Cohesion in Colour: A Retrospective by Duke Asidere’, being title of the exhibition, is a solo retrospective by Duke Asidere. The painter’s works are on view from November 7th, 2021, through till November 20th, 2021.
In the show, Oda Art gallery showcases a vibrant body of work from the entirety of Asidere’s successful studio practice; showing a vivid composition of figurative as well as abstract paintings.
Featuring a selection of 20 paintings, the exhibition curated by founder of ODA Art Gallery, Obida Obioha and Sunshine Alaibe, aims to surpass accepted conceptions of figuration and abstraction, where the cohesion and control of colour boldly lives beyond the canvas. The vibrant body of work is segmented to cover various periods of the painter’s successful studio practice. “…An artistic harmony is always achieved in Asidere’s works whether in his portraits, landscapes, cityscapes or abstract pieces. Even in use of thick black hues of oil paint, Asidere is able to conjure an energy that uplifts the spirit”, Obioha who is also the creative director of a number of design related enterprises, added.
Asidere’s use of thick rich colour and intentional smears, and scrapes of heavy oil pigments sheds light on the layers of his lived experiences while at the same time, acting as a social commentary for contemporary African politics.
Displaying works from the late 80’s to the present day, ‘Cohesion in Colour’ explores a diverse scope of subject matter, ranging from political commentary, as evident in ‘The Law Breaker’ (2017) which sheds light on elements of social injustice and corruption; to pieces like ‘The Massive sisters’ (2019), ‘Portrait of My Mother’ (1987) and ‘Discussions of the Soul’ (2011), portraying both social and psychological struggles the artist witnessed. “My paintings cover every issue; women stabbing men, men killing their wives, etc. If you listen to news about Nigeria, you’d be distressed”, Asidere said.
Walking through Asidere’s vivid oeuvre of figurative and abstract paintings, guests are invited to embrace the many layers of the artist’s lived experiences and his views of Contemporary African events. “I just paint. Painting for me is release. I paint with a lot of energy. And this exhibition is a collection that can be said to be a case of the artist and his works”, he said.
‘Portrait of my Mother’(Framed); ‘Paused’, image of two women (oil on canvas); ‘Planning’ 1; ‘Third Layer’, oil on canvas featuring images of four women; “The massive Sisters’ and; ‘Discussions of the soul”, – images of six female figures in diverse colourful apparel, are some of the works paying homage to women, that could make any close observer, view the artist as a feminist rather than the humanist that he prefers to be known as.
One unique feature of Asidere’s works is their timelessness, and this according to the curator, also informed Asidere as choice artist for the gallery’s opening. The works which dates back to the 80s are as fresh and relevant as ever. “The artist should not be saying his work is timeless. What the artist should do are timeless works. I don’t want to be praised or hailed, I don’t care, I’m the first love of me”, the painter pointed out. “Duke is an artist who has been working for forty years. I like his work and they are very contemporary and more than that, his work is timeless”, Obioha maintained, adding, “Look at this piece in front of you, a sixty-year-old man created this, it’s so fresh, so young. His proven track record, his technique, his use of colour is fantastic and I love colour. No one does colour like Mr Duke. I’m very happy that he honoured us by working with us. I’m a big fan of his”.
Asidere’s commentaries on political matters come alive in “The Law Breaker”, a 2017 thought provoking work employing pen, newspaper, charcoal on canvas. Forms drawn with different colours of pen are superimposed on newspaper cut-outs while headlines and words like ‘traitor’ are visibly seen on the art piece, depicting the underlining message in the piece.
‘Sitting in Peace’, which captures a female figure in a sitting position; ‘Leisurely Time’, a 2018 oil on canvas piece presenting a colourful image of a being in deep blue apparel in a resting position in a serene atmosphere and, a whole lot of images in resting positions indicate how much the artist cherishes rest.
This also speaks to the gallery’s commitment to offering patrons a serene space to relax away from the chaotic environment that Lagos is known for. “ODA gallery is designed to experience art with interior design, music and other elements, the audience is given the opportunity to engage in a sensory environment”, Obioha stated.
Obida who trained at Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan, disclosed further that O’DA (meaning good) gallery is a space devoted to beauty adding that the space has a goal which is to celebrate emerging and established artists to flaunt their outstanding creativity and innovation with the rest of the world.
“In working with Mr Duke Asidere, ODA Art seeks to draw attention to the artists who have stood the test of time; whose expression and language are unique, grounded and relevant”.
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