At Thought Pyramid Art Gallery, a Harvest of Talents with Masterly Dreams 

Yinka Olatunbosun

A bustling view of the exhibition hall at Thought Pyramid Gallery Lagos was in itself exciting. Artists- some of whom were exhibiting their works for the first time were swarmed by friends and family members who came to experience the magical moment in the quiet side of Lagos, Ikoyi.

The occasion was the much-trumpeted 2022/2023 Next of Kin Series 5 finalists where ten emerging artists were given the platform to showcase their works from diverse medium. Born out of the Next of Kin Competition, the artists were selected through a rigorous evaluation of over 1,000 entries.

The exhibiting artists are Idowu Emmanuel, Samuel Inalegwu, Samuel Godwin, Useh Akpoghene, Joshua Adeyemi, Akintayo Eunice, Bosun Omotayo, Eruofor Tega, Popoola Nurudeen and Joecollins Ezepue.

For Samuel Godwin, his unique pieces that appropriate augmented reality, fabric and acrylic is a showstopper. The Creative Arts Graduate of the University of Lagos bedazzled the audience with his interactive pieces viewed through a mobile app. Through the works titled “The Waiting,’’ “Hope’’ and “Toast,” he narrates the story of an African woman and how evolves through the stages of being a maiden, married or the waiting process.

With Joshua Adeyemi, creativity is about striking a balance between figuration and abstraction. Using found materials such as fabric, leather and paper, he symbolises the African point of view. The graduate of University of Benin is a neo-traditional artist who taps from Uli motifs to create the series titled ‘Ori.’

Using the technique of pointillism, Idowu Emmanuel experiments with colours, drawing inspiration from African folklore tradition, wisdom, Yoruba history and cultural heritage. The graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife is curious about his subjects and the histo-cultural contexts. For instance, in the piece titled “Stallion Mistress,’’ he illustrates the importance of pets to the human race.

“Right from the Mesolithic period, domesticated pets have been useful and part of human everyday life,’’ he stated.

In the work “Arewa,” he recreates the picture of a young beautiful lady using the elements of facial beautification and bodily adornment.

Like Idowu Emmanuel, Samuel Inalegwu is also fascinated by animals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Inalegwu interrogated human and animal characters and this birthed the body of works in The Preacher series. Using animal heads to represent each character, the artist humorously captured “Comrade Jaguar” amongst others natural and anthropomorphic characters.

Embracing expressionist style, Eruotor Tega presents the subjective emotions and responses in his water colour paintings. Well-controlled and detailed, Tega admitted to being influenced by the works of Ibe Ananaba.

On the other side of the hall, the paintings by Akintayo Eunice came into view. Described as a figurative digital impressionist artist, Akintayo is a first class graduate of painting from the Lagos State Polytechnic in art and industrial design.

Her works had been featured in Missoula, United States of America in the show “Together We Rise (2021),’’ Lagos Continental Hotel’s Brush and Strokes in 2022 and Lagos Art Exhibition held the same year at the Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos.

With roots in African culture, her works create mental health awareness and she lends her voice to the global campaign for women empowerment.

The winner of the World Bipolar Day Art Competition in 2018, Nurudeen Popoola is one artist who has remained committed to the theme of Africa. From his youthful perspective, he makes bold statement on body shaming with the piece “Don’t Call Me Fat’’ in his Omo Eko Series. With “Iwalewa,” he delves into the true value of beauty.

Bosun Omotayo who enjoyed some tutelage at the Universal Studios of Art, Orile-Iganmu explores petals in his paintings titled “Behold I and II.’’ Mirroring Popoola’s view of beauty, he underscores the value of inner beauty.

Useh Akpoghene’s upcycled pieces was the cynosure of all eyes at the show. Using carefully arranged found materials, she raises questions on human identity, class, creed and the need for equal recognition. Standing farther away from the pieces help to deepen the visual appreciation for the masterpieces.

Meanwhile, Joecollins’ photographic lens projected social realities and the subject matter of survival and the spirit of perseverance.

“My works generally tackle the countless problems caused by substandard, ineffectual and unsatisfactory governance in Nigeria and Africa as a whole by providing a reassurance and a glimmer of hope to people who are struggling and affected by these problems,’’ he said.

The Project co-ordinator and curator for Next of Kin Series, Ovie Omatsola acknowledged the support of Hyde Energy, Platform Capital, Nigeria Machine Tools, Trustbanc Financial Group, in preparing and staging this show that support young artists on their way to becoming masters.