LETTER

Yusuf  Grillo,  Bruce  Onabrakpeya,
Kolade Oshinowo, Obiora Udechukwu,
Ben Enwonwu, David Dale and the list
goes  on  and  on.  Each  year,  we  are
bewildered  by a variety  of exhibitions
and retrospectives from these Nigerian
artists. The galleries that sponsor these
exhibitions always go to town and label
these exhibitions contemporary African
art. Pray! What do we really refer to as
contemporary?

The  Oxford  Advanced  Learners
Dictionary defines contemporary as 'of
the  time  or  period  being  referred  to.'
Are  we  to  believe  that  this  art  being
practised  by  these  gurus  of  the  brush
and pen is really contemporary  and of
the  time?  These  masters  have  been
practising for perhaps up to thirty years
and  even  much  more.  In  my  humble
opinion, these our masters have been at
their easels  for  decades  satisfying  our
yearnings for art. I can also bet that the
tag contemporary has always been added
to classify these our proud masters. Are
these works really  contemporary  or is
the Nigerian art scene evolving towards
a  loci 
that  we  can  really  call
contemporary?

We are daily inundated by our so called
critics  everyday  with  this  bastardised
cliche 'contemporary  African art'. The
galleries  do  not  spare  us  either.  The
artists also have developed fads and do
not stop rushing for exhibitions that are
constantly  being  offered 
if  not
embarrassingly  to  a  populace  that  is
constantly  being  fawned  over  by
exorbitant  and  glossily  printed
catalogues. The question really is who
determines contemporary  African  art?
The artists themselves, the critics or the
populace that knows no better. I think
that  the  Nigerian  artist  has  a  case  to
answer concerning this. The art world is
in  a  constant  state  of  revolution.
Important landmarks are being created
world-wide in contemporary art, Africa
and indeed  Nigeria  must find its own

in  this  epoch.  Yet  the
footing 
repercussions of this world-wide scheme
of things is still being felt too slowly in
these  regions.  Are  we  really  still
primitive  and  tribal  in  our  artistic
offerings?  Do  we  really  have
contemporary 
in  Nigeria?
Embarrassingly,  we  still  find  that  the
offering  of  the yesteryears  still  reigns
supreme today.

art 

Not  that  this  observation  is  meant  to
support a group of Nigerian artists and
run the others down. The Zaria school,
the Ife school, the Osogbo school and
the  Yaba  purveyors  all  herald  and
constantly strive for ideals. One cannot
but be easily swayed by their offerings.
The question  is, are these  leanings so
different 
really
contemporary? The market scenes, the
Fulani  milkmaid,  Durbar,  mother and
child  and  drummers  are  so typical  of
recent  offerings.  Is  this  what  we can

and  are 

they 

really  call  contemporary?  Don't  we
really need to shut down our exhibitions
and our schools for some time to give
our  artists  time  to  repossess  thoughts
and really evolve contemporary art? On
the other hand, are we to call the art of
the  1940s being  practised  by our still
living masters as contemporary? Have
they  really  evolved  in  what  they  are
doing  to  occupy  that  niche  we  can
present and juxtapose with our western
contemporaries?  Or are we to present
our  new  practitioners  with  their
overflogged themes? Try as much as we
can, we cannot run away from the fact
that  there  is  a  problem  that  needs
addressing,  if  Nigeria  is  to  evolve  a
truly  contemporary  art  scene.  The
problem is 'has Nigerian Art evolved at
all?'  and  where  is  the  longevity,  the
strength and continuing vitality?

Wole Olagunju,
Lagos.

ART.FRAMES.CARDS

18A  Keffi  Street.South  West  Ikoyi,  Lagos.  Nigeria

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