New lease of life with Oliver Enwonwu

Oliver Enwonwu realised he had an onerous task when he was sworn in as chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), six months ago. “I knew that the challenge before me was great, but I was bent on creating a high standard among art practitioners,” he says.

However, the fact that he has the requisite qualities and the advantage of his background made him feel he could succeed. “My father was an artist, educationist, administrator and a strict disciplinarian. Because of him, I understand the psychology of artists. I knew I could bring my strengths in administration and documentation to the fore.”

Still, being the son of the great Ben Enwonwu has its downsides. “People expect too much. They are always comparing me with my father. It’s not easy walking in a great man’s shadow, especially if he is your father. Femi Kuti is a musician in his own right but he is always compared with his father.”

SNA’s new lease of life

“Over the last six months, we have put a structure in place. We have a newsletter that provides the artists with information; we have broken the record of SNA attendance in our meetings. We won back old artists who left, thereby boosting morale.

“We also cater for the welfare of members. We have reopened the secretariat and equipped it with more equipment, like computers. We are connecting with our community through collaborations. Presently, we are collaborating with the French Cultural Centre to celebrate 50 years of French and Nigerian relationships.

We have been able to get artists like Bruce Onabrakpeya and Yusuf Grillo to work with younger artists. I can say that the SNA is enjoying a new lease of life.”

Though things are now a bit rosy, there are still challenges. “We need to have more events for artists, like fora for discussion and open debate,” Enwonwu says. “We need a bigger secretariat that will accommodate a gallery for artists.

"We want to give artists international exposure. We also want to influence artists to follow new fronts like photography, sound and video installations - so that they can compete in the international market. We want to make sure that the study of art is entrenched in the educational curriculum of Nigeria.”

Stages of Nigerian art

“There has been some progress, decline and stagnation. In my father’s time, we had renowned cultural icons. They gave respectability to the arts, but art in those times had low patronage, galleries were few but we had people like Ben Enwonwu and Bruce Onabrakpeya.

Some of these cultural icons like [my father], Ben Osawe and [Aina] Onabolu are dead. At present, there are no cultural icons; there are no artists that fit into this mould. But even with that, there are presently more art collectors, more foundations and more exhibitions. There is even an international art expo and more art writers.

“There are beautiful catalogues and big art auctions. It’s just sad that the themes my father painted are still being painted till today by some artists. There is also a slight increase in patronage and sponsorship by corporate organisations, but it is not enough.

“Other major problems we have are: lack of maintenance culture and a need to engage better professionals. Nowadays, monuments don’t last because they are built with substandard material by non professionals. If you look at the Sango statue in front of NEPA [on Lagos Island], it has been standing since 1962.

Hope in sight

Enwonwu is nonetheless optimistic. “There is a stability of the art market, we are beginning to see proper structures put in place. With more art exhibitions, there will be price regulation of art works. The works will not be bought based on size or medium, the relevance of the artist will be taken into account.”