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(Nat and Zack are in the Junction chatting with a third man.)
Nat: So Chike, when are you going to see this exhibition? You sound so passionate about it.
Chike:
I'm thinking of going down there this afternoon. I'm very impressed by
Obadina's work - they say that he is one of the new wave of artists in
Nigeria who is spearheading a new cultural renaissance in the nation.
He blends a neo-classicist approach in the depiction of life forms with
a realist use of imagery and vivid colour.
Zack (scratching his head): Erm... I'm sure that he must be very good if you say so. So... what are his pictures like?
Chike (in a slightly condescending tone):
Zack, you can't just give a description of art like that. You have to
experience it... to feel it... to be submerged in it. You have to take
in the full visual drama as the various bold strokes and shades of
colour engage and interact in a meaningful relationship...
(As
Chike is talking, Max enters the Junction, smiling and whistling
merrily to himself. As soon as he sees Chike, he stops whistling and
rolls his eyes.)
Max (sighing): I see you have once again come to grace our humble abode, O Lord of High Culture. (in mock puzzlement)
But what is this you are talking about? "Strokes of colour" being
involved in extra-marital affairs with "shades of drama"? Is this a new
soap opera or what?
(Chike turns to Max with a wry smile.)
Hello,
Max. I can see that your mind remains impervious as ever to the subtle
and refining influences of culture. I suppose that it's too much to
expect from someone who worships Money as his god.
Max (shrugging):
At least with money, I know where I stand. The rules are simple - the
more you amass, the happier you are. But this culture that you're
always going on and on about? It has no head or tail - we have to come
to High Priests like you to educate us.
Nat: I
don't think anyone needs Chike to tell them anything. He's enthusiastic
about this new artist that he's just discovered, and he was sharing his
passion with us, that's all.
Zack: And to be honest, the work he has shown us is quite good. Do you have that brochure, Chike? Show Max.
(Chike
brings out a brochure with photos of some paintings and passes it to
Max, who flips through the pages, pausing every now and then. He then
hands the brochure back to Chike.)
Max: Very interesting... but rather dull, don't you think?
Zack (in astonishment): Dull? Can't you see that colourful picture of the woman cradling her child? Don't you think that's really artistic?
Nat:
Or the painting of the sunset at the beach, as the fishermen pull in
their catch for the day? Doesn't that take you back to a more carefree
earlier age of innocence, when we didn't have all the problems of today?
Chike (gesturing):
See, Max? Your friends get it - but as I keep on saying, you are too
blinded by the pursuit of the pound and the dash for the dollar to see
what I'm trying to tell you.
Max: Oh, I get it
all right. I can see that these paintings are calculated - yes, that's
the word - calculated to arouse feelings of patriotism and affection
for our national culture. But (waves a dismissive hand across) they're all fake! Fake!!
Nat: What do you mean, fake? Explain yourself.
Max (scornfully):
These kinds of paintings always dwell on these images of a time gone
by, when our culture was relatively untouched by modern life and was
supposedly much 'purer'. But who cares about those times? Why do we
want to keep on living in the past? I'd like to see more contemporary
images!
Nat (smiling): I think Max has
a point. I like the paintings... but I think we've been conditioned to
accept that there are certain kinds of paintings and sculpture that are
culturally authentic in Nigeria. You know... the kind that show
drummers, or dancers, or village life... that kind of thing.
Zack: And what is wrong with that? You don't disagree that all these things are part of our culture, do you?
Max (rolling his eyes): But are they the only
aspects of our culture out there? I mean, our culture didn't stop in
1925, you know! What about paintings of an okada rider swerving on a
potholed road in between two giant trailers? Or of a policeman
receiving egunje? Or of people running helter-skelter in the
middle of a torrential downpour? Or of goats looking for food in a
rubbish dump? Now those I can relate to!
Chike (shaking his head):
Those scenes you describe are too mundane. There is no great
inspiration to be derived from gazing on a rubbish dump, or potholed
roads. The artist seeks to celebrate that which lifts our spirit to the
stars, not that which hurls it to the ground.
Max:
And who are you to tell me where to get inspiration from? Some of my
best ideas have come from looking at fowls and goats as they rummage
around rubbish dumps. In fact, the scenes at the rubbish dump where
people scavenge for recyclable material are a very suitable metaphor
for the current state of Nigeria; wastage, poverty and resourcefulness
in spite of it all.
Zack (scornfully):
Huh! While most people are inspired by people like Nelson Mandela,
monuments like the Statue of Liberty or ideals like Patriotism or
Justice, you are inspired by rubbish dumps! Well at least that explains
the worthlessness of the thoughts that you sometimes express here.
Nat:
But don't dodge the question that Max has been asking since. Who is the
final arbiter of culture? Why should I listen to you rather than Max?
Chike (drily):
Well, I take more of an interest in these matters than Max. I follow
the trends on which artists, cultural norms and styles of art are
currently popular; I study exactly what medium these artists use to
depict culture, and the motivation behind their work; I meet regularly
with other people who follow these issues as well and we exchange
information. So who would you trust more to give you an informed opinion on matters of art and culture?
Max:
Chike, I'll allow that you are the expert when it comes to 'art'. In
fact, you are the Holy Priest of the Religion of Art, complete with all
its mumbo-jumbo about adultery between Mr. Red Colour and Mrs. Green
Shade. But please do not try to make yourself a priest of a Cult of
Culture. When it comes to Nigerian culture, I am infinitely more
knowledgeable than you!
Zack: I don't believe that - you don't usually talk much about the various traditions and cultures of Nigeria.
Max:
See? This is exactly what I've said already. You seem to have this
strange idea that Culture is something special that is kept locked in a
box, only to be brought out on special occasions, like when foreign
dignitaries come visiting. You seem to feel that we need special
experts like Chike to tell us all about culture. Well, you're wrong!
Culture is not about holy artefacts - it's what we live, eat and
breathe everyday! It's not just about the stereotypical images that the
West have of Africa... it's about the good, the bad and the neutral
events that we experience in our lives on a day-to-day basis.
Nat:
Hmm... So - you're saying that Nigerian culture could include
activities like eating in a bukateria? Or boarding a danfo bus? Or
being disturbed by an itinerant medicine seller in the bus?
Max:
Exactly! or arriving late at a wedding... ...or watching mechanics
working in an open air workshop... ...or listening to the choir of
generators as the soprano tuke-tuke 950 W generator sings along with the baritone diesel generator...
Nat:
...Or getting frustrated at the slow connection in a cybercafe filled
with 419 boys... or being 'wedded' by a bus conductor to another
passenger because there's no change for both of you... ...or buying
groundnuts from a roadside seller to effect a quick 'divorce'...
Max:
...Or having power supply disrupted just as you're about to iron your
clothes for tomorrow... or having the same power supply restored just
as you're lying in bed being tormented by mosquitoes...
Nat:
...Or having church service extended by thirty minutes because the
pastor had a special message to deliver... or seeing small boys make
rams fight each other before being slain on Id-el-Kabir.
Chike: Well, these events may be part of culture - but as I said before, they aren't really worth celebrating in art.
Nat: This is what Max was accusing you of - trying to create a kind of separate High Culture from ordinary culture.
Don't you know that by only celebrating the events that you consider
special, you are cutting your art off from the masses? How is someone
going to relate to an event which he rarely ever sees?
Zack: That's the whole point. There are many events that we rarely experience, but we still can relate to them. In fact, it is because
we don't experience them frequently that we value them even more. And I
think it's right that we should celebrate and value events that are
special - just as we value clothes that we wear on special occasions
too.
Max: Hmm... that gives me an idea... you say that the rarer the event, the more likely it is to be valued?
Zack: Er... what evil idea is about to enter your mind, now?
Max: Oh no, Brother Zachariah, this idea is not evil at all. In fact, I think you'll like it!
Nat: Oh go on, share.
Max:
Chike, do you think it would be culturally authentic to produce a
realistic painting of Ibrahim Babangida being chased by a pack of wild
dogs who have succeeded in ripping the trousers of his babanriga
outfit, but are still desperate for more? After all, this would be a
very rare event, and I'm sure it would be very highly valued!
(Chike, Nat and Zack burst into laughter.)
Chike: I'm sure it would be highly valued, but I think that is too unserious to be regarded as worthy of an artistic subject.
Zack (vigorously):
Nonsense! Since when did art have to be serious? Max, if you know
anyone who has painted this picture, please let me know - I would
definitely buy it.
Max: See? I knew you would
like the idea. But why should I sell it to you when I can sell it to
someone else for a much higher price?
Nat: Who do you have in mind?
Max:
Babangida himself, of course! The alternative would be to have the
picture displayed in a public gallery - not something I think he would
be too happy about.
Zack: You know that this your idea has the whiff of blackmail about it.
Max (affronted):
Blackmail? Moi? My friend, this is art! I am exploring several themes
in this work; the raw expression of fear; the thrill of the chase; and
the intense desire to sink teeth into a pair of juicy buttocks. In
fact, I'm offended that you even think I'm capable of such a thing. All
I would be doing would be giving Babangida the right of first refusal,
since he is after all the subject of the work.
Chike (with a wry smile):
You know you're not fooling anyone, Max. You really need to set aside
this your obsession with money if you're going to learn to appreciate
art and culture.
Nat: Speaking about cultural
appreciation, you never did tell us when you were going to see this
exhibition. Where is it holding again?
Chike: Oh, it's holding at the Excelsior Exhibition Centre.
Zack (suspiciously):
Isn't that the centre where they usually charge a N5,000 for admission
only? Where only really rich people usually go to for events?
Max (accusingly): And you
were criticising me for being obsessed about money. I take it that your
artist isn't planning to donate proceeds from his exhibition to the
poor, is he? I think the words 'pot', 'kettle' and 'black pigment used
in artwork' come to mind.
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Authors 
Posted by Robot| 22.02.2008 05:48