Abuja, the Open House and the  Afterglow…

Segun Ade-Martins

No sooner had the dust settled on the Abuja Open House 2023, whose theme was Catalytic Synthesis, than everyone returned to their respective lives. However, in various corners, participants are plotting ways to add value to the art world. “My plan is to encourage young artists like myself to do more with their art,” an attendee, Anne Ishaya, says. 

The thing about gathering artists and creatives for one event is that it galvanises the creative mind. It ‘catalyses’ their thoughts to produce art or to continue to build relationships. “I plan to write stories that are deeply inspired by my experiences and collaborate more with visual artists,” another attendee, Kindness Olugbenga, who is also a writer, says. 

There are three things Abuja Open House offers to Abuja, Nigeria, and the world: discovery, connections, and learning. “The event is not a panacea to all that ails the art scene,” an art critic and editor of the THISDAY art pages, Okechukwu Uwaezuoke, who featured as a panellist at the opening event on October 26, had written in an earlier publication.

This is true; not all problems can be solved in four days. When art spaces can be discovered, awareness comes to the concerned public. After this, connections are there to be built open, hence the 2022 edition’s theme: ‘Convergence’ and ‘Catalytic Synthesis’ is this year’s theme.

The theme is meant to build on the connections gained last year and create a lasting platform to develop cohesiveness in the Abuja art scene. This should allow Abuja to continue to attract national and international attention, not to compete with Lagos but to support it with variety and nuance in a serene environment. Step by step, Abuja Open House takes us closer to achieving this.

‘Eclecticism’ summarises Abuja Open House 2023: Catalytic Synthesis. A sample of the highlights of the fair include keynote talks from the director of the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, Dr. Jess Castellote; the artist, art educationist, and historian, Dr. Kunle Filani; and renowned artist and writer Victor Ehikhamenor, representing experience and international acclaim.

There was also an injection of youth with two exhibition openings at unusual art spaces. At the Nordic Hotel in Mabushi, Orlu Ozangeobuoma, Peter Eneji, Stanley Ugonabo, and Bakare Shariff had standout paintings and sculptures expressing bold and vibrant ideas. Their message was “Time in Perspective.”

Yunus Emre Institute, the Turkish cultural centre, showed more youth but with a message of reconciliation and peace: “Harmony Unveiled: Negotiating Peace through Art.” Helen Nzete displayed her series “The Year of Knots,” multimedia relief paintings conveying the pain that a child grows into adulthood, with knots on ropes representing individual trauma moments. Also exhibiting were young artists Isaac Oluwatope, Ibukun Adeleye, and Awosola Michael Angello, curated by Roland Goyit. 

The last moments of note were a talk by decorated photographers Aisha Augie and Tersoo Gundu, moderated by Theo Allanso at Windsor Art Gallery. They discussed the state of photography’s role in the wider visual art classification and guided eager audience members to understand art photography. “[Photography] is deeper than the story,” Augie says.

The closing day presented a talk and exhibition featuring Dr. John Owodemi, Akachukwu Chukwuemeka, and Ejiro Fenegal. Again, eclecticism is abundantly at play here. Owodemi’s Durbar paintings display untethered wealth and power, known as “Padanci” in the Hausa language. Akachukwu’s dye paintings depict seminal moments in African literature. Rounding out this mix are the busts of women by Fenegal using bonded marble, contrasting youth and femininity in various guises.

This gallery-hopping fair is not a magic bullet for putting this art scene on the global map, but it is a jumping-off point. The International Institute for Creative Development (often abbreviated as IICD) and its creative director, Nduwhite Ahanonu, are the architects of this fair. IICD’s motto states, “Where people who know something get to meet people who know something else,” again driving home the intention of the fair. With the wealth of experience in attendance, sharing contacts, and gaining knowledge, the fair, in its third edition, is leading Abuja on a path to becoming another key cultural centre in Nigeria.

•Ade-Martins writes from Abuja