Contemporary Nigerian and Foreign Artists and Their Works for SS 1

Famous Contemporary Nigerian and Foreign Artists

Performance Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. identify selected contemporary Nigerian and foreign artists;
2. describe the styles, and explain their impact on modern art;
3. compare the works of contemporary Nigerian artist and foreign artists.

Art is a powerful way for people to express ideas, emotions, and observations about the world. Throughout history, artists have created works that reflect their societies and influence future generations. Contemporary art refers to art created in our lifetime, often reflecting current issues, technologies, and cultural trends.

This unit explores the works of some famous contemporary Nigerian and foreign artists. Understanding their styles, themes, and impact helps in appreciating the diverse forms and messages within modern art.

Meaning of “Contemporary Artist”

A contemporary artist is an artist who creates art in the present day, typically from the 1960s or 1970s up to the current moment.

Contemporary artists often explore new ideas, materials, and techniques, reflecting on current social, political, and cultural issues. Their work can be diverse, ranging from traditional forms like painting and sculpture to more experimental forms like installation art, performance art, and digital art.

Contemporary Nigerian Artists

Nigeria has a rich and vibrant art scene, with many artists gaining international recognition for their unique contributions. These artists often draw inspiration from Nigerian culture, history, and contemporary experiences, while also engaging with global artistic trends.

Nike Davies-Okundaye (Textile, Painting)

Nike Davies-Okundaye, often known as Mama Nike, is a renowned Nigerian artist celebrated for her work in textile art, particularly adire (tie-dye and batik) and painting. She is a strong advocate for preserving traditional Nigerian art forms and empowering women through art education.

Her style is characterised by vibrant colours, intricate patterns, and symbolic motifs drawn from Yoruba mythology, folklore, and daily life. Her works often tell stories and convey cultural messages, making traditional textile techniques relevant in contemporary art.

Bruce Onobrakpeya (Printmaking)

Bruce Onobrakpeya is one of Nigeria’s most celebrated artists, primarily known for his innovative work in printmaking. He is also a painter and sculptor, whose art often explores themes of Nigerian culture, religion, and the environment.

Onobrakpeya’s style is distinctive, combining traditional African art forms with modern techniques. He developed unique printmaking methods, such as plastocast and deep etching, which give his works a sculptural quality. His themes often include folklore, proverbs, and social commentary, presented with a strong sense of texture and form.

Peju Alatise (Mixed Media, Sculpture)

Peju Alatise is a multidisciplinary Nigerian artist, architect, and writer. Her work spans various media, including painting, sculpture, installation, and literature, often addressing complex social and political issues.

Alatise’s style is characterised by its narrative depth and use of diverse materials. She often creates intricate sculptures and installations that tell stories, particularly focusing on the experiences of women, child rights, and social justice in Nigeria. Her art is thought-provoking and visually compelling, combining realism with fantastical elements.

Victor Ehikhamenor (Installation, Drawing)

Victor Ehikhamenor is a Nigerian visual artist, writer, and photographer known for his intricate drawings, large-scale installations, and distinctive use of traditional Benin motifs.

His artistic style often incorporates traditional Uli and Nsibidi symbols, alongside contemporary imagery, to create complex visual narratives. Ehikhamenor’s installations are immersive and often explore themes of identity, spirituality, history, and the impact of colonialism. His drawings are characterised by their detailed patterns and repetitive forms, creating a meditative quality.

Contemporary Foreign Artists

Artists from around the world have also made significant contributions to contemporary art, pushing boundaries and influencing global artistic discourse. Their works often reflect their unique cultural backgrounds and perspectives on universal human experiences.

El Anatsui (Africa – Installation Sculpture)

El Anatsui is a Ghanaian sculptor known for his monumental installations made from discarded materials, particularly bottle caps and other metal scraps. His work transcends traditional sculpture, blurring the lines between sculpture and textile art.

Anatsui’s style is characterised by the transformation of ordinary, discarded objects into shimmering, fluid tapestries. His bottle-cap sculptures are assembled from thousands of flattened metal pieces, creating large, flexible sheets that can be draped and reshaped for each exhibition. His themes often explore consumption, waste, history, and the interconnectedness of cultures, particularly between Africa and the West.

Pablo Picasso (Spain – Cubism)

Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer who spent most of his adult life in France. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, co-founding the Cubist movement.

Picasso’s style is incredibly diverse, but he is most famous for Cubism, which he developed with Georges Braque. Cubism involves breaking down objects and figures into geometric shapes and reassembling them in an abstract way, showing multiple viewpoints simultaneously. His work often explored themes of war, peace, love, and the human condition, evolving through various periods like the Blue Period, Rose Period, and Surrealism.

Yayoi Kusama (Japan – Installation Art)

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese contemporary artist known for her extensive use of polka dots and her immersive installation art. Her work spans painting, sculpture, performance, and fashion, often exploring themes of infinity, self-obliteration, and psychological states.

Kusama’s style is instantly recognisable by her signature polka dots and nets, which she applies to almost everything, from canvases to entire rooms. Her “Infinity Mirror Rooms” are famous installations that create an illusion of endless space and repetition. Her art is often vibrant, playful, and deeply personal, reflecting her experiences with mental health.

Jean-Michel Basquiat (USA – Street Art)

Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist who rose to prominence in the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement. He began as a graffiti artist in New York City before transitioning to painting, leaving a significant mark on contemporary art despite his short career.

Basquiat’s style is raw, energetic, and highly expressive, combining elements of street art, graffiti, and traditional painting. His works often feature bold colours, fragmented text, symbols, and skeletal figures. He explored themes of race, identity, wealth, poverty, and social justice, drawing from his Haitian and Puerto Rican heritage and his experiences in urban America.

Banksy (UK – Graffiti/Activism)

Banksy is an anonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stencilling technique.

Banksy’s style is characterised by his use of stencils to create striking and often provocative images on public walls. His art is deeply rooted in social and political commentary, addressing themes such as anti-war, anti-consumerism, anti-authoritarianism, and environmentalism. His anonymity adds to his mystique and allows his work to speak for itself, often appearing unexpectedly in public spaces around the world.

Artistic Themes, Styles, and Social Relevance

Contemporary artists, both Nigerian and foreign, engage with a wide range of themes and employ diverse styles to communicate their messages. Their work often holds significant social relevance, prompting viewers to reflect on important issues.

Artistic Themes

The themes explored by contemporary artists are often reflections of the world around them. Common themes include:

1. Identity: Exploring personal, cultural, national, and gender identities.
2. Social Justice: Addressing issues like inequality, human rights, poverty, and discrimination.
3. Politics: Commenting on governance, power structures, and political events.
4. Environment: Raising awareness about climate change, pollution, and sustainability.
5. Spirituality and Belief Systems: Interpreting traditional and modern spiritual practices.
6. History and Memory: Reinterpreting historical events and collective memories.
7. Consumerism and Materialism: Critiquing modern consumption habits and their impact.
8. Technology: Exploring the impact of digital advancements on human life and society.

Artistic Styles

Contemporary art is not limited to a single style; instead, it embraces a multitude of approaches:

1. Abstract Art: Art that does not attempt to represent external reality but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colours, and textures.
2. Figurative Art: Art that clearly represents objects or figures from the real world.
3. Installation Art: Large-scale, mixed-media constructions often designed for a specific space or for a temporary period.
4. Mixed Media: Art that combines different materials and forms.
5. Printmaking: Techniques such as etching, lithography, and screen printing to create images.
6. Street Art/Graffiti: Art created in public spaces, often without permission, using techniques like stencilling, spray painting, and murals.
7. Cubism: An early 20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionised European painting and sculpture, depicting objects from multiple viewpoints.
8. Textile Art: Art that uses fabrics, fibres, and threads to create works, often incorporating traditional techniques.

Social Relevance

Contemporary art is often socially relevant because it acts as a mirror, reflecting the concerns, challenges, and aspirations of society. Artists use their work to:

1. Provoke Thought: Encourage viewers to think critically about issues.
2. Raise Awareness: Bring attention to overlooked social or political problems.
3. Challenge Norms: Question traditional beliefs, power structures, and societal expectations.
4. Preserve Culture: Document and celebrate cultural heritage and traditions.
5. Inspire Change: Motivate individuals and communities to take action.
6. Offer New Perspectives: Present alternative viewpoints on complex subjects.

Comparing the Works of Contemporary Nigerian and Foreign Artists

Comparing the works of artists from different backgrounds helps in understanding the global nature of art while appreciating local influences. When comparing, consider the following aspects:

1. Themes: Do both artists address similar universal themes (e.g., identity, social justice) or are their themes more specific to their cultural contexts? For example, Peju Alatise’s focus on child rights in Nigeria can be compared with Banksy’s broader anti-war activism.
2. Styles and Techniques: How do their artistic approaches differ or overlap? Nike Davies-Okundaye’s traditional textile techniques contrast with Pablo Picasso’s Cubism, yet both are innovative in their respective fields. El Anatsui’s use of discarded materials for installations can be compared with Victor Ehikhamenor’s use of traditional motifs in his installations.
3. Materials: What materials do they use, and how do these materials contribute to their message? El Anatsui’s bottle caps speak to consumerism, while Nike Davies-Okundaye’s adire fabrics connect to cultural heritage.
4. Cultural Context: How does their cultural background influence their art? Nigerian artists often draw from rich indigenous traditions, while foreign artists might reflect Western philosophical movements or global urban experiences.
5. Impact and Message: What impact do their works have on viewers, and what messages do they convey? Both Nigerian and foreign artists often aim to provoke thought or inspire change, but the specific issues they highlight may vary.

For instance, while Nike Davies-Okundaye and Yayoi Kusama both use repetitive patterns, Nike’s patterns are rooted in Yoruba symbolism and storytelling, while Kusama’s polka dots are part of a personal exploration of infinity and self-obliteration. Similarly, Bruce Onobrakpeya’s printmaking, with its deep textures and cultural narratives, offers a different artistic experience compared to Jean-Michel Basquiat’s raw, expressive street art, though both are powerful in their visual communication.

Creating Art Inspired by an Artist’s Style

To deepen understanding of an artist’s style, learners can create their own artworks inspired by a chosen artist. This involves:

1. Research: Study the artist’s works, techniques, and themes in detail.
2. Identify Key Elements: Note the dominant colours, shapes, lines, textures, and subject matter.
3. Choose a Medium: Select appropriate materials (e.g., drawing, painting, collage, simple sculpture).
4. Experiment: Try to replicate or adapt the artist’s techniques to create a new piece that reflects their style while expressing a personal idea or theme.

For example, if inspired by Nike Davies-Okundaye, one might create a drawing with intricate patterns and vibrant colours. If inspired by Banksy, a simple stencil drawing with a social message could be attempted. This practical application helps in internalising the characteristics of different artistic styles.