VICTOR EHIKHAMENOR: MERGING CULTURES.

Hi guys, Steph here. I don't know if you've heard of Victor Ehikhamenor before but between his powerful and diverse art and his carefully captioned Instagram posts, this writer and artist is another person to keep an eye on in Nigeria's exciting and ever-growing art scene.

Following his installation at the 57th Venice Biennale this year, 'A Biography of the Forgotten', which featured numerous bronze heads that hang over mirrors to signify the exchange of a human life for mirrors during the slave trade, against the backdrop of a canvas painted using symbols from Benin iconography, which Mr Ehikhamenor grew up around, he is holding an exhibition in London's Tyburn Gallery in line with the themes of his Biennale installation, titled 'In the Kingdom of This World'.

Venice Biennale. 'A Biography of the Forgotten', Victor Ehikhamenore, 2017.

Quick side note, this year's Venice Biennale featured the first ever Nigerian Pavillion featuring 2 other artists alongside Mr Ehikhamenor, Peju Alatise and Qudus Onikeku and curated by Emmanuel Iduma and Rele gallery's Adenrele Sonariwo. More on this here.

The title of the exhibition is the same as the title of Cuban novelist, Alejo Carpentier, whose work also draws on history and the pre-colonial and post-colonial worlds of his country to tell his story. Leading up to the private view of his exhibition at Tyburn gallery on the 23rd of November, Mr Ehikhamenor held a talk at SOAS University in London where he extensively discussed his thought process, themes in his work and his roots in Benin City, Edo state.

It was fascinating to listen to him explain how he came to be the artist he is and why he does what he does. A key turning for him in his art, he explained, was going to study in America. It was there where he discovered artists like the acclaimed abstract expressionist, Rothko and thought that the paintings looked similar to those in his hometown, Uwessa, saying 'this is like my grandfather's wall'. This is when it occurred to him that what he had simply grown up around and had passively observed was art. The murals on the walls of his home, the paintings and sculptures in the shrines, the patterns by his grandparents, was all in fact art. Coinciding with this realisation was another one that the same art he had grown up around and the cultures and traditions surrounding it had begun to dwindle and disappear. That way of life and surrounding he had grown up knowing was being swept under the rug by a force very aggressively championed not only in his hometown but all over Nigeria; Christianity, and this seems to be the basis of his work in Tyburn.

Throughout his oeuvre, symbols and iconography present in the murals in the Benin homes and shrines can be found. He has used his work as a time capsule, preserving the memory of his hometown and transferring it on to new media with his own narrative attached. That feeling of passing on stories and tradition is very strong in this exhibition. While he has frequently recreated historical and biblical moments in his work, this one feels more like a folktale. Walking through the white-walled space of Tyburn, I felt like I was a little girl again, being sat down by my grandmother to tell me the history and tradition of my land. The way each piece is titled heavily contributes to the passing of knowledge, they all serve different purposes and establish the world we are presented with. For example, 'I am a Saboteur, waiting for Britain to make me king of Benin', we immediately understand the setting, character, situation and place, its rapid-fire story-telling that brilliantly aids the image.

'I am a saboteur, waiting for Britain to make me king of Benin', 2017. Perforated paper. 

Another example, 'My last dance as King before Sir Harry Rawson's army arrived',  again all the basic story-telling elements are present but it also works to give emotional context to the image, without knowing the title we may not read it the same way.

'My last dance as King before Sir Harry Rawson's army arrived', 2017. Rosary beads on lace textile. 

At this point, it's a bit ludicrous that I haven't fully addressed how Mr Ehikhamenor executes the telling of Benin history as he juxtaposes icons from both Benin tradition and western tradition in the form of Christianity. The bigger pieces, the ones of the Benin Kings and other important figures are made with rosaries and lace textile. We quickly understand the symbolism between the two; the religious connotations of the rosaries and tradition attached to lace. If you don't know much about the relationship between Nigerian clothing and lace, it's one of the primary materials used to make traditional attire.

So is it then religion (christianity) vs tradition? On one level yes, the introduction of Christianity in many communities across the world has rendered the way of life of those people as taboo, devilish and fetish, denouncing their icons, gods and modes of worship as unchristian therefore leading to the obliteration of them. But on the other hand, Mr Ehikhamenor in his talk explained that he is essentially trying to draw similarities between the two cultures. It is apparent in one piece especially, 'I am Ogiso, the King from Heaven'. When you realise how similar it is to the idea of God and Jesus Christ, you begin to see how the Benin tradition is encapsulated within Christianity, which especially rings true with this piece.

'I am Ogiso, the King from Heaven', 2017. Rosary Beads on lace textile. 

Essentially every story and narrative is a permutation of itself, it is human beings that decide which one they believe to be true but it all exists "In the Kingdom of This World", at least that's what I've taken from this body of work.

I thoroughly enjoyed both the talk and exhibition and recommend whoever is in London to visit Tyburn Gallery while the exhibition is still on, it runs till the 20th of January. Until next time guys :*.

GTK: EBUBE ONOH.

Hi A'naala readers, we're back with another artist you should get to know; Ebube Onoh. He is a 20-year old multi-faceted artist ranging in mediums from film to graphic design to photography to painting. He sits comfortably in an understanding of these diverse crafts and is able to hone them to create absolute masterpieces, he's also incredibly funny. Watch the video below!



Here are some of his incredible works of art:

For Odunsi

Photography for JOLAG cover art. 

THE FOURTH WAVE : A FEMINIST SERIES (PT. 2)

Table, Chair, Hatstand (1969) Allen Jones.

'Ello 'Ello, little lassie Steph here. I don't know why I'm going with the British lingo but anyway I'm back with my feminist series even though it's been close to a year (wow) since I dropped the first one. This series was supposed to focus solely on feminist artists but in my course of looking into artists that I really like or just random research or actually just interacting with their work, I've become increasingly frustrated. It is vital that at this point you realise that these artists are male. While looking into some of my favourite male artists I make horrific discoveries, maybe horrific is a dramatic word but they do leave me with an immense feeling of disgust both at them and myself for liking their work extensively and still continuing to like it. It's only right that I call myself out. What horrifies me of course in relation to the topic at hand is the way they use women. The word "use" is very fitting here because it's exactly what they do, they use women like objects. Be it in their representation of them in their work or with how they interact with real-life women. So let me make more sense of what I'm saying with the some of the artists I'm talking about.

LOVING VINCENT: FILM REVIEW.

About a week ago (week ago) I went to see Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman's Loving Vincent, the first ever feature film that exclusively used paintings to tell its story. In line with its subject matter, Vincent Van Gogh, the film employed a team of over a hundred painters that paint specifically in the style of Van Gogh’s post-impressionism to properly thrust us into his world and even mental state. I would like to break down separate aspects of the film as its individual aspects vary in their purpose.

VISUALS

The film opened with a Starry Night opening sequence that kicked off the giddy exciting sensation of engaging with a film that had entirely been painted. It further pushed me into the world with the post-impressionistic style that was employed but then subsequently found too harsh for my eyes. The compact and short brush strokes and endlessly vivid colours gave the illusion of a world on steroids, creating a warped and quite frankly torturous world of the film, which worked tremendously to convey Van Gogh's mental state but was painful for a 1 hour 35 minute sit down. It also transcribed the feelings of the settings in the village, Auvers, where Van Gogh took his life, relating to the emotions of paranoia and judgement. 

In contrast to this, the film contained flashback sequences that employed a softer black and white Realistic style. These were a lot easier to watch and were also magnificently cinematic, reminiscent of the popular Film Noir genre in 40's Hollywood. It was also interesting that realism was used to portray the flashbacks as in the timeline of art history Realism came before Impressionism which came before Post-Impressionism which therefore makes it an intriguing parallel to be drawn between the film and art history. Not to mention that the Impressionists that Van Gogh was influenced by in Paris like Monet and Pissarro were themselves influenced by pioneers in realism like Corot and Courbet. 

PLOT

I would say spoilers ahead but not really because there isn't much to spoil. The story follows Armard Roulin, played by Douglas Booth, one of the many subjects of Van Gogh's paintings and son of Van Gogh's dear friend and postman Joseph Roulin, played by Chris O'Dowd, as he struggles to deliver one of Van Gogh's last letters to a worthy recipient. 

Before I walked into the cinema, I prayed for one thing, that the spectacle of the film would not act as a compensation for a poor plot but alas, a girl cannot have everything she wants. So yes, the plot was underwhelming. The use of Armand Roulin as a main character was lazy and deceiving, it gave the illusion of something beyond the plot of just Van Gogh's life, it seemed like it would give us a character to thrust all our emotions upon and sympathise with but unfortunately that was not the case. While it had an arguably clear sense of journey it didn't have what we really look for in a protagonist; change and for us to understand why they change we have to know their goals, fears, wants and needs, Roulin lacked most if not all of these. He had one goal, to deliver the letter but beyond that there really wasn't much there. He was a passive protagonist in the worst sense where he did not make things happen and things did not happen to him. 

His journey was overshadowed by a cheap narration of Van Gogh's life inserting tropes here and there to cheekily recreate his iconic paintings, these made the plot branch out to stories and characters that were never developed. The film dragged creating a tiring motif of flashbacks and present time. It would have been more worthwhile had they just simply made a biopic. The potential that it had and did not live up to was painfully disappointing. 

VAN GOGH

Had one entered the cinema not knowing anything about the life of Van Gogh it may have been somewhat engaging. The film's success is in its communication of Van Gogh's state of mind and in it's conversation about mental health and society's perception of it, especially in times that were less sensitive to it. It explores a lot of different point of views on this and focuses on a key point in Van Gogh's life, his death, to tell the story of his life. Despite the fact that I have complained about the tropes that were used to recreate Van Gogh's  famed paintings they were also an incredibly exciting part of it as a fan of his work. Also notwithstanding my seemingly negative outlook on the film I thoroughly admire the work and effort put into making this film. I mean 7 years and over a hundred artists is no joke and that makes all the more painful that the story of the film didn't do more. 

Nevertheless, I see potential maybe even a genre in the future with painted films especially if they are done in the style of Realism, because boy oh boy those shots were great... I mean paintings, I guess.  For more specific details on the film visit its website here.

Thank you for reading. Come back next week for more :*

ART X LAGOS: NEW FOUND LOVES.

Lakin Ogunbanwo, Project One. 

Hey lovelies, Steph here. Okay, so yes, we weren't there but that doesn't stop us from really wishing we were. Through the lens of the lovely Wonuola Lawal's phone, we got to pretend like we were with her takeover on our Instagram taking us on a tour of the event. With the help of that and ArtX's interactive app, we were able to discover, secondhand, new artists amongst those who participated in the fair. Obviously, it is nothing like actually being there and experiencing it in full bloom but we can happily or grudgingly settle for what we have. Also a big well-done to the ArtX team for putting on this fantastic and pioneering show to strengthen the art fibre throughout Africa, even if it only held in Lagos, its impact is widespread.  So here are some artists I discovered and instantly fell in love with. 

OUR ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY Q&A

'Twas the eve of October 23rd, creativity filled the air. We launched A'NAALA.

One year later and we're still going strong.

To celebrate our birthday we have a Q & A addressing all the questions you guys sent in as well as our reflections on the past year.

We'd love to take this opportunity to say a BIG BIG thank you to all our supporters. You mean the world to us and give us the strength to keep going! Here's to bigger and better things next year. Keep commenting/dming/emailing because we love hearing from you <3

Enjoy this little Q & A and ignore our weird mannerisms lol we're usually behind the camera.

ANAALA VLOG #1

Hi guys! I know it's been a while but it's uni szn which is why we've been a bit shitty on the posts. We PROMISE to do better!

In the meantime here's a vlog- and I use that term lightly- a vlog Steph and I attempted whilst we were in Lagos. Just thought we would let you in on the lives of the gals behind the blog! Hopefully if you guys like this enough we can get round to doing vlog #2?

Much love & hope you enjoy!
Eme xx