Hello Nairalanders, I really do hope everyone is doing well during these trying times, felt I should show some of my art to help ease tensions a bit and bring to you a different kind of experience.
So here’s how it’s going to work, I will give a brief introduction of myself and my work, and then I would post a couple of drawings including commissioned works and progress shots too. I would then post a selected four again but this time I’d leave commentaries below detailing what inspired the drawings and other relevant information so you’d get a better understanding of each one.
I’d keep it as basic as possible so both enthusiasts and those new to art can soak it all in. Without much further ado let’s get right into it.

My name is Paul Mbah; I draw a lot so it just became what I do. I was born in Wales but I grew up across several southern states in Nigeria, I finished from UNN and began almost immediately to feature in Art competitions and exhibitions. My art is mostly abstract figurative (This phrase means the artist communicates ideas using objects and or persons) and are drawn primarily with graphite, charcoal and ink on paper. What do I want to say with my art? There’s no central message because they’re about everyday life, more than anything I just want people to be inspired by them.

Happy viewing

The first one, A Song about Daylight

The Report

Walking In A Box

Hale

Lantern Girl, an old one

Lily and the Jackdaw

Commission,

Currently in progress,

3pm in Abakpa, Phyno bought this one in 2017

Hale, while I was working on it

3rd Law

Lily and the Jackdaw, earlier stage

More coming up

Sunlight is Screaming

I'm wowed

PMPhoenix:
The Report

Draw me na

A Song about Daylight

I made this one sometime during the first quarter of 2019. I got the idea for it after feeling jealous of how a friend of mine communicated freely with his parents. Now this might sound like a strange thing to be jealous of to some of you, but after experiencing the way they talked so freely (right down to even personal events and sex life) and looking at what I and a good number of other people have going on in our circles which is a far cry from that, I couldn’t help but feel bad about it.

I know no family is perfect but the effect of this one on me was strong. By extension, there’s a lot of well to do individuals who, despite having enviable financial/social statuses, don’t have genuine and honest relationships with family members or other people in general, there are guys and ladies out there right now who pay people to just spend time with them, who am I to judge though?

This drawing was inspired by that complexity. In the image there’s two subjects, the female subject is affluently adorned to represent the wealthy, the male represents the powerful as he wields an ‘ofor’ (a short staff usually held by men of leadership status in Igbo land) and is also wearing a chieftain cap. In a mannerism inspired by Michelangelo’s painting ‘The Creation’ both are reaching towards the central portion of the space which is lit up slightly, the central portion represents the simple joys of life, peace, happiness, acceptance, trust, friendship and love.

Both models in this drawing are actual family members. I wanted to photograph family members for the image to retain the spiritual potency of what initially inspired it.

The daily struggles we face as Nigerians tend to make us misplace the value of these virtues and on the long run when we do acknowledge them, they might not be so easy to get back.

Lily and the Jackdaw

Have you ever heard of visiobibliophobia? It is the fear of social media and it’s more common than you’d expect in Nigeria. I hardly ever posted, commented or even put up new profile photos; and it’s not that any of these, individually or collectively, are a problem because some people just prefer being under the radar, It was until it started hampering my work that I recognized them as issues that needed to be ironed out. Making posts on Instagram, Whatsapp or Facebook for me were absolutely terrifying .

Although, every artist, musician, producer, writer or any creative practitioner right before they put out new work always entertain a tug of war in their heads as to whether the new work would resonate with their audiences, like whether it’s good enough or not good enough, not being sure of how people are going to react to it (The same way I think a girl feels when she just finishes preparing food for the very first time for her lover and he’s about to take the first bite…make or break moment no?). It’s just more severe for some than others.

This insecurity is what inspired Lily and the Jackdaw. This drawing is probably the most foreign looking presentation I have in my portfolio as it has very little African imagery, the title itself is inspired by the 1865 English novel Alice in Wonderland (Art critics are fond of boxing upcoming Nigerian/African artists in to make art that looks African and anything asides from that wont resonate with the elites. If a full blooded British artist makes art about the roadside pollution in crowded Nigerian urban slums, would that art resonate with you as foreign or as African?)

The bird in the drawing is a symbol of the helpless desire we have get better in life/attaining greater heights. Unplugged power cords and data transfer cables hanging loosely and carelessly on the subject represent this fear which gets in the way of productivity (The flower), but the funny thing about both of both fear and productivity is that, in a strange way, the complement each other, but that one na talk for another day.

Hale

Midlife crisis, for modern day Nigerians, begins right after they leave school. The level of uncertainty, plus increasing responsibilities can be overwhelming. There are times when taking a step forward shoots you backwards and further back from where you began and the only source of strength you have, because people start to lose faith in you, is yourself.

Hale was inspired by resilience, an inherent African trait that has guaranteed our survival throughout our harsh history.

The model of the drawing is the valedictorian (Best graduating student) of the 2017/2018 session in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. To truly capture the essence of resilience while she posed for the photo she was thinking of the most difficult obstacles she had to overcome during her schooling years. The single photograph of her is distressed, torn and burnt to symbolize difficult times.

An ancient ‘Igbo’ writing system called ‘Akagu’ is used to inscribe ‘Dimpka’ at the base of one of the photograph pieces. It means someone who is strong.

The Report

I had the idea for this shortly after my NYSC year.

I remember feeling like everyone I know and came across was searching for keys to open the closed doors in their lives; everyone was embattled with the task of figuring out what exactly to do next. Keys then, metaphorically, became symbolic to me, a couple of them float in the foreground.

By right side of the drawing some other objects float too, these objects represent factors that influence our searching for these keys.

The coin represents money and finances.

The beetle (more specifically its hard and protective exoskeleton) represents security; during the time the drawing was being made the bloody clashes between herdsmen and farmers were occurring frequently alongside the violent harassment of civilians by men of the police force, the special anti robbery squad division in particular.

The bible page symbolizes wisdom; the extract from the book of revelations has a verse that subliminally cautions whoever is on this search to be mindful of how they go about it.

The wrist bead represents socio-cultural recognition and, by extension, influence, fame, power.

The feather represents life and good health; as we are currently battling the ravaging effects of the pandemic, this one is in the highlights.

In the background there’s a section of brick walls, those brick walls are located and referenced from an upper class neighborhood in G.R.A Enugu, while the cemented regions in the background are located and referenced from middle to lower class neighborhood in Zik’s Avenue Enugu. This is aimed at representing the ubiquity of this search as basically everyone was/is looking for something.

Stay safe & thank you .

Wisdom....

Abstract artist.
My man. I wish to get one myself.

Roon9:
Why so disjointed

What does being an abstract artist mean to you
Open your mouth

Why so disjointed

Tight

You're doing well. You're the real one million boys. Can you frame make we buy one na.

You are doing well man....I wish I had money. I'd have given you.

Oh wow. Beautiful collections

Nice...

How long does it take to finish one picture?

Nice one.
The only thing some people know how to draw is tattoo

The realism is stunning

Raw Talent... keep it up bro. I love it.

Wow. Pure talent