Gallery at the Landmark Opens with Isaac Emokpae

The all-new Gallery at the Landmark, Victoria Island, Lagos may have a scintillating recipe for enticing old and new art connoisseurs with the high-street styled art pieces from Isaac Emokpae. Yinka Olatunbosun reports

By tomorrow, May 1, the walls of the Gallery at the Landmark will be popping with art pieces on window displays. The walls will speak to the historical trail of the artist, Isaac Emokpae, the son of the legendary sculptor, Erhabor Emokpae. Titled, “In My Father’s House,’’ Emokpae made a mystery of what to expect at this show except for a few details: twenty pieces of paintings, coupled for window displays and some hints at his Benin heritage.

For him, the lockdown in 2020 was a time for introspection; reflecting on his childhood influences that spurned him on to becoming a versatile artist. He bears the same responsibility of adding value to a family, or better still, a generational profession in a way that resonates with the likes of Femi Kuti, Dare Art Alade and others. Isaac was only seven years old when his father died. He still remembered the first time his father taught him how to draw.

“I was drawing horses on the walls and everybody had been scolding me for drawing on the wall. My father just said, ‘Come,’ and took a pencil and a sheet of paper and said, ‘This is how you draw a horse.’ My mother, grandmother and everybody else gathered around. He was just sketching the horse. That was the first time that I realized that this is what he does. It dawned on me that I wanted to do that. My mother kept that drawing through the years. I want to believe that my father would be proud of an exhibition like this,’’ he said.

Emokpae recounted how his father made the National Theatre his home-away-from-home as he was always busy with creating art pieces some of which are in public spaces. It was not a surprise that till date, his father remained the only artist who had the honour of being laid-in-state at the National Theatre.

Like a typical chip-off-the-old-block, Emokpae (Isaac) found his way into advertising with photography. In this show, his works in stained glass, oil on board and canvas will dazzle the viewers for four weeks.

“The theme is very straightforward. It underscores family, love and respect; success through hard work. I learnt from my father that a message is effective when it is simple. The Benin heritage is embodied in the work and it leaves an indelible mark on the minds of the viewers. This is the ethos behind the show,’’ he revealed.

Owing much to the impression made on her when she visited a museum of tapestry, the Director, Gallery at the Landmark and daughter of the legendary Emokpae, Mrs Igbiwiyisi Jacobs is confident that the window display experience will revolutionalise the way art is perceived at first glance. During the press briefing with select journalists, she spoke vivaciously about the unique selling point for this new gallery. Situated in the part of Lagos with the most art galleries, its competitive edge is vested in the high-powered creativity that drives its physical presence.

“You remember how you look at high streets abroad. The high streets are very big on their window displays and Nigerians are yet to understand that which I don’t get because Nigerians travel a lot and people entice them through their windows. Throughout the world, artists are contracted to design some of these window displays for big designer brands. If I just put this object on the floor in one corner, nobody would buy it unless you are a dedicated customer for that thing. So, the idea is to move these art pieces from just being an attraction for art collectors but the entire public. We want people to see art and not necessarily need someone to explain it to them. The beauty is intrinsic. Africans know what they like and they like colour. We need to show people that art is not just something in a frame in a building. Westerners now know and appreciate art from all dimensions. People who walk in on the corridor will see something,’’ she explained.