Bruce Obomeyoma Onobrakpeya (born 30 August 1932) is a Nigerian printmaker, painter and sculptor. He has exhibited at the Tate Modern in London, the National Museum of African Art of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and the Malmö Konsthall in Malmö, Sweden. The National Gallery of Modern Art, Lagos has an exhibit of colourful abstract canvases by Onobrakpeya and his works can be found at the Virtual Museum of Modern Nigerian Art, although no exhibitions were showing as of October 2017.

Early years

Bruce Onobrakpeya was born in Agbarha-Otor in Delta State, son of an Urhobo carver. He was raised as a Christian, but also learned the traditional beliefs. His family moved to Benin City, Edo State, when he was a child. He attended Western Boys High School, where he was taught art by Edward Ivehivboje, among other subjects. He also attended drawing classes at the British Council Art Club in Benin City. Onobrakpeya was inspired by the watercolour paintings of Emmanuel Erabor. After leaving high school, Onobrakpeya was hired as an art teacher at the Western Boys High School (1953–56). In 1956 he left for Ondo, where he taught at the Ondo Boys High School for a year.

Formal art education

In October 1957 Onobrakpeya was admitted to the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, now the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.[5] Funded by a Federal Government Scholarship, he was trained in the Western tradition of representational art. At the same time, he began to experiment with forms in relation to Nigerian folklore, myths and legends. Much of his work uses stylistic elements and compositions derived from traditional African sculpture and decorative arts.[6][7]

The Zaria Arts Society, later called the Zaria Rebels, was formed on 9 October 1958 by a group of art students at the college led by Uche Okeke with the aim of "decolonizing" the visual arts as taught by expatriate Europeans. Onobrakpeya has said that the college gave him technical skills but the Zaria Arts Society, a discussion group, shaped his perspectives as a professional artist. The society gave him the confidence to seek a personal expressive idiom. He elongated his figures, ignored perspective and evoked the supernatural through ambiguous decorations.

Later career

Onobrakpeya later attended a series of printmaking workshops in Ibadan, Oshogbo, Ife and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Maine, US.[9] His first one-man exhibition was held in 1959 in Ughelli in the Niger Delta. Later he exhibited in the US, Italy, Zimbabwe, Germany, Britain, Kenya and elsewhere.[8] Onobrakpeya was an important force in the renaissance in contemporary art in Nigeria. For many years he taught at St. Gregory's College, Lagos.[10]

Onobrakpeya created the Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation, of which he is President, and which organises the annual Harmattan workshop in his home town of Agbara Otor, Delta State.[9] The foundation is an artist-led Non-Governmental Organization formed in 1999. It aims to encourage the growth of art and culture by giving artists opportunities to gain skills, while increasing public awareness of African art and its benefits to society. The foundation organised the Amos Tutuola Show, Lagos (2000). It has participated in many other shows.[11]

Recognition

"Bruce Onobrakpeya is amongst the most successful artists to have emerged in West Africa during the 20th century, with continuing and commanding influence on the generation of artists in Nigeria, who have come to maturity in the post colonial period."[12]

* Honorary D. Litt.[13] from the University of Ibadan in 1989.[7]
* Honourable mention at the Venice Biennale.[14]
* Fellowship of the Society of Nigerian Artists on 6 June 2000.
* Pope John Paul II award for painting the life of Saint Paul,
* Fellowship of Asele Institute award,
* Sadam Hussein award,
* Solidra Circle award, and Fulbright Exchange Scholar award.[7]
* Onobrakpeya is the recipient of the Living Human Treasure Award (2006) given by UNESCO,
* Second winner of Nigeria's prestigious Nigerian Creativity Award by the Federal Government of Nigeria on 14 September 2010. Its first winner was Chinua Achebe.
* Honorary Degree of Doctor of Arts (Hon. D. A) from the Delta State University, 2017
* Recipient of (NNOM) Nigerian National Order of Merit, 2017, the apex and the most important award for scholastic excellence in Nigeria

Onobrakpeya's work

Art periods

A definitive work on the art of Bruce Onobrakpeya would have to be an intense exercise. Each of these segments represents specific periods in the artist's studio practice, which spans a period of over 50 years.

The first segment is the Mythical Realism (1957–62), which represents paintings, and lino cut prints that depict folklore themes, and Northern landscapes (Zaria). This is the period of his early development as an' artist, which coincided with Nigeria's Independence. The idea of projecting the African personality was of major importance to the artists of this period. It was also at this time that the Zaria Arts Society, the forerunner of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), was formed and accompanied by the propagation of the concept of "natural synthesis". Works in this category include the paintings: Awhaire & the Bird, Hunters Secret, and A Tree in Northern Landscape, and the Lino Cut Prints Zaria Indigo, Two Faces, Boli Woman and Awakening (Negritude)

The second segment focuses on the artist's workshop experiments and his Bronzed lino relief series otherwise known as the Sunshine Period (1962–1967). This is the period when he started to attend various workshops. Some of the popular works of this period include Leopard in a Cornfield (Iino print), Scarecrow (silkscreen) and Man & Two Wives (silkscreen)

The Mask and the Cross (1967–78) series represents the period when the artist executed several Christian themes commissioned by the Church such as Nativity II (Iino engraving), The Last Days of Christ (plastocast), Obara Ishoshi (bronzed Iino relief) and Pope John Paul (metal foil), as well as the Plastography Period, a time when the artist developed a lot of ideas he started in Zaria in the late 1950s and early 1960s such as Travellers II, Songs of Life, and Rain & Cry at Otorogba.

The fourth segment represents the historical vignettes. These are pictures known as the Symbols of Ancestral Groves (1978–84) They depict historical figures, mostly royalty from the Benin Kingdom such as Oba Aka. Other works in this period include Eghrighri and Ibiebe.

The Sahelian Masquerades (1984–88) were pieces created to highlight the destruction of the environment These works focused on the cultures of the Sahelian regions Works in this period are also loaded with a lot of political undertones such as Horns Of Freedom, and Edjo Aton (principles of good governance), which draws a lot of attention to role of government in relation to the issues of desertification.

The Mask Series (1990–1995) represent the development of images, which inspired depictions of masks treated in different print media that bring out the philosophies of the people. They also address' the subject of change. Images I and /I as well as A Panel of 15 represent this period.

Social Unrest (1995–99) is the period of strife within the society. This is represented by large paintings, which are prayers for divine help against military dictatorship and political instability. Here we have drawings and pictures, which focus on the murder of Ken Saro Wiwa. On the front burner. are the ecological and socio-economic problems. In this segment you have works such as Ekugbe (Unity), Nude & Protest and Smoke from the Broken Pipe.

Finally we enter the Installations Period (1995 – Date), which is the period the artist embarked on installations as an art form. These works are characterised by the arrangement of different discarded materials to create works of art. These installations were essentially to draw attention to importance of protecting our environment. Works in this category include Animals of Eve, Adjene, New City III and Voices of silenced Voices.

Innovations

Since 1966, as an experimental artist, Onobrakpeya has discovered, innovated and perfected several techniques both in printmaking and relief sculpture that are uniquely Nigerian. Generally, printmaking is a fine art process of producing pictures from a plate which the artist has previously created. Having conceived the idea, the artist then creates an image or images on a plate through any of the printmaking techniques. The images are then transferred onto a paper or any other surface by printing or embossing method. The advantage is that the artist can use one of such plates to produce as many copies of the artwork as required, sometimes giving them various colours. Onobrakpeya has increased the techniques tremendously.

Bronzed lino Relief is a collage of used lino blocks with bronze colour patina. Onobrakpeya developed this relief technique in 1966 as a way of preserving used blocks which in themselves possess sculptural qualities.

Plastocast Relief is a painted low-relief design that was cast with resin. The idea started as an extension of the bronzed lino relief. The used plastograph plates (like used lino blocks) have sculptural low relief effects which make them unique as art works. An attempt to retain the original used plates, and at the same time give collectors a chance to possesses and share the beauty of the original, led Onobrakpeya to develop a method of creating other original plates from existing used plates through the use of plaster of Paris. Sometimes, small plates with the same or similar themes are arranged together and cast to form a larger picture. A further development in plastocast relief is carving directly on abandoned or congealed plaster of Paris then applying resin on the cast and pulling out a positive. However, for a deep engraving on plaster of Paris to produce bold relief, depends on the nature of the plaster of Paris. This is known as plastocast plate. It is painted or tinted plastocast plate that becomes a plastocast relief.

Plastograph is a term given by Onobrakpeya to describe his deep etching technique that he innovated in 1967 through what he referred to as the Hydrochloric Acid Accident. It is an engraving on a low relief surface made of zinc or similar surface material and printed in the intaglio style.

Additive Plastograph is another technique that involves making of print images on a sheet of sand paper, using glue as a drawing medium. This is glued to the sand paper using intensive solar heat. Ink is then applied to the resultant images by the intaglio inking process. any link in excess is wiped off with a dry cloth. This is later taken to the press to register the relief already created by the glue on a soaked and semi-dried cartridge printing paper. Finally, the registered impressions are painted, using pastel oil to achieve the desired forms by the artist.

Metal Foil Deep Etching is a plastograph print in which aluminium foil is used to draw the engraved images. The thin foil is cut and placed on an engraved plate and then the embossed sheet is removed, turned over and filled with resin to stabilise the relief. The resin filled foil is then laminated on plywood or no any other surface. Onobrakpeya first started experimenting with foils and from the experiments transformed the foils into a print medium in the 1980s. He used already printed plates to try out the technique.

Metal Foil Relief Print is a three-dimensional metal foil print drawn on a plastocast plate. A fairly thick foil is cut and placed over a plate and hand pressed to transfer the shape of the picture on the plate. The foil is then removed and filled from behind. It is then laminated onto a plywood and coloured in the same way as the metal foil deep etching print process already discussed above. Note that while the metal foil deep etching print is drawn from plastograph plates, the metal foil relief print is hand embossed on a plastograph plate.

Ivorex is a new technique recently developed by Onobrakpeya which simulates optical effect of old ivory engraving on bone or elephant tusk. The material used, however, is polymer.


Ibiebe alphabets and ideograms

Ibiebe is a writing style developed by Onobrakpeya. It features his invented script of ideographic geometric and curvilinear glyphs. The designs reflect the artist's knowledge of his Urhobo heritage, rich in symbols and the proverbs they elicit, as well as his appreciation of Chinese, Japanese, Ghanaian and Nigerian calligraphy. Onobrakpeya invented and refined this script called Ibiebe from 1978 to 1986, when he revisited in his art, ideas linked with traditional religion, customs and history. Ibiebe glyphs aim at encapsulating universal concepts of timeless values. The artist clearly delights in the script's forms and visual qualities as well as its power to communicate. These ibiebe ideograms which are often abstract, also lend themselves to calligraphic, painterly and sculptural presentation.

ONOBRAKPEYA, Prof. Bruce

MFR, graphic artist, painter, printmaker, sculptor; DOB: August 30, 1932;

Hometown: Agbarha-Otor, Ughelli; State of Origin: Delta; Married: Victoria (nee Quel); No of Children: three sons, two daughters.

EDUCATION: Elementary and Secondary Schools, Ughelli, Sapele and Benin City, 1941-51; Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria, 1957-62; Department of Extra Mural Studies, University of Ibadan/Mbari Artists and Writers' Club, Ibadan, 1961; apprenticed to Ben Enwonwu, 1962; Dutch graphic artist, Ru Van Rossen; Mbari Artists and Writers' Club, madan, August 1963; Printmaking Workshop, Mbari Mbayo, Osogbo, 1964; Print Section, London Museum, 1969.

CAREER: Art Teacher. Western Boys High School, Benin City, 1953-56; Ondo Boys' High School. 1957; St. Gregory's College, Lagos, 1963-80; Freelance Artist/Consultant. 1980; Guest Instructor, Printmaking, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts Deer Isle, Maine. USA, July 1975; Artist-in-Residence. Haystack Mountain of Art and Craft, Deer Isle, Maine, U.S.A., 1975; Artist-in- Residence a-prof. Elizabeth City State University, Elizabeth City, North Carolina, U.S.A., 1979; Artist-in-Residence, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, 1984; National Gallery ofZimbabwe, Harare, 1991; MOJA: An African American Arts Festival, Charleston! South Carolina, U.S.A., 1991; University of South Carolina, Columbia- Guest Teacher, Takoma Public Schools, Takoma, Washington, USA. 1989; Organized and participated: 1st Harmattan Workshop at Agbarha- Otor, Delta State, 1998; 2nd Harmattan Workshop, 1999; 3rd Harmattan Workshop. 2000; 4th Harmattan Workshop. 2002; 5th Harmattan Workshop, 2003; 6th Harmattan Workshop, 2004; Artist in- Residence, University of South Carolina, Columbia, 2004; 7th Harmattan Workshop, 2005; mm: Zaria Art Society; founding member. Society of Nigerian Artists; Board mem., Nigerian Copyright Council, Lagos, 1989; International Jury, Zimbabwe Heritage '91, Harare, 1991; f. Asele Institute, Nimo, 1985;

awards/b: Third Prize. Gottschalk Textile Competition, Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria, 1959; Honourable Mention, Children's Book Illustration, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, 1967; Pope Paul VI Gold Medal, 1977; Fulbright-Hays Award, American Council for International Exchange of Scholars, 1979; Ciba-Geigy Travel and Exhibition Award, 1980; Silver Medal and Twenty Thousand Rupees, Fifth Triennial, New Delhi, India, 1982; Solidra Circle Award, Lagos, 1985; British Council Award, Lagos, 1989; Honourable Mention, 44th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy, 1990; Merit Award, Bendel State, 1990; United State Information Service Travel Award, 1990; Mentioned in The News Magazine's "People in the News", 2002; Art Master Per Excellence award by St. Gregory's College Old Students Association, Ikoyi, Lagos, 2003; Gold Service Award presented in Recognition of Meritorious Service to Community and National. Rotary Club International, District 9140, Uyo, 2005; ah: Scholarship by Nigeria College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria to study Fine Art, 1958; Honorary Degree, Doctor of Letters. University of Ibadan, Ibadan, 1989.

exh: Solo: Water colors, Linocuts and Fabric Prints, Ughelli, 1959; Painting and Prints Mbari Club, Ibadan, March 1964; Exhibition of Works. Goethe Institute, Lagos, April 16-26, 1975; Etchings by Bruce Onobrakpeya, Martin Luther King Memorial Library, Washington DC. July 17-August 15 1975- Exhibition of Prints and Plastocast Paintings, Goethe Institute, Lagos, March 15-April 7. 1978; Prints, Amersfoort, The Netherlands, September 1979; Sixth International Print Biennale, Cartwright Hall, Lister Part, Bradford, England, 1979; Bruce Onobrakpeya: Nigerian Printmaker, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA, October 28, November 26, 1979; Symbols of Ancestral Groves, Whitney Young Resource Center, USIS, Lagos, March 1986; Sahelian Masquerades, West African Music Village, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England, 1989;

Bendel State Merit Award, 1990; President Saddam Hussein Travel Award, 1996; Delta State Government Award for Excellence, 1995; Glimpses of Our Stars Award, 1999; 4th Annual Distinguished Lecture, National Gallery of Art, 1999; Ways of the Rivers: Arts and Environment of the Niger Delta: Showed Installation Akporode at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, 2002; Organised and participated, Art and Democracy Exhibition to commemorate the 5th anniversary of Delta State Government, 2004; Harvest of the Harmattan Retreat at the Pan African University, Ajah, Lekki, Lagos, 2004; Where Gods and Mortals Meet: Continuity and Change in Urhobo Art. Museum for African Art, New York; U.S.A; Columbia University South Carolina U.S.A; Washington DC, U.S.A., 2004-05 and several others, nh: Member of the Federal Republic, 2002; Group: Art from Africa of Our Time, Phelps-Stokes Fund, New York, USA, 1961-1962; Three Nigerian Artists, American University, Washington DC, 1970; Young Artists from Around the World, Union Carbide Gallery, Union Carbide Building, New York, USA, 1971, amongst several others,

off: Ovuomaroro Gallery, 41, Oloje Street, Papa Ajao, Mushin, Lagos, e-m: onobrak@hyperia.com

Reminiscences With Prof Bruce Onobrakpeya

Sun Dec 29 2019

Professor Bruce Onobrakpeya is a world-renowned master print-maker, painter, sculptor, poet and pioneer in modern African art, whose long and distinguished career spans six decades and continues to astonish with protean audacity. He employs a deep understanding of the cultural history of the African continent combined with a willingness to embrace a continuum of cultural precedents and influences along with an open-ended improvisational sensibility to create work that exploit the fissure between the natural world and the world of imagination.

The visual resonance in his work is undeniable, attesting to his ability to seamlessly fuse ancient and modern concepts and aesthetics that pay tribute to the traditional religion, custom and folklore of his heritage while using a wide range of printmaking techniques including those he pioneered. Bruce Onobrakpeya was born August 30, 1932 in Agbarha-Otor near Ughelli, Delta State, Nigeria, and is of Urhobo descent. He received a diploma in fine arts in 1961 and arts education in 1962 from the Nigerian College of Technology (now Ahmadu Bello University) in Zaria. Throughout the 1960s he participated in numerous artist workshops, including the Mbari Artists’ and Writers’ Club printmaking workshops at Ibadan directed by the Dutch printmaker Ru Van Rossen.

During this time he apprenticed with sculptor Ben Enwonwu, and became a founding member (1964) of the Society of Nigerian Artists. In 1990 he participated in the 44th Venice Biennale where he received an honorable mention with artist El Anatsui. He has traveled extensively, teaching workshops and exhibiting in the United States, Italy, Zimbabwe, Britain, Kenya, and Germany. Awards include honorary D. Litt. from the University of Ibadan in 1989. The Pope John Paul II award for painting the life of Saint Paul, the Fellowship of Asele Institute award, the Saddam Hussein award, the Solidra Circle award, the Living Human Treasure Award (2006) given by UNESCO, and on 14 September 2010 became the second winner of Nigeria’s prestigious Nigerian Creativity Award by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Its first winner was Chinua Achebe. IN 2017, he was conferred by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Nigerian National Order of Merit Award (NNOM) This is the highest academic award in Nigeria and is an academic award conferred on distinguished academicians and intellectuals who have made outstanding contributions to the academic, growth and development of Nigeria. In this interview, the legendary artist talks about his life and art.

Can you recall your childhood years in your native environment?

Well, the first was the traditional, rural setting in Urhoboland. Then my early education was in Urhoboland and Benin, Sapele; that was early elementary education. Then for my secondary school, I went to Benin. That was my early days.

Definitely, we were forest people and I used to describe myself basically as one of the forest people because we grew up in natural, rural environment, roaming the bushes, setting traps for animals and birds, and then catching fishes in the small village stream, and all that.

In those early days, entertainment in form of rural songs and music was readily available. That was my early, boyhood days and all that. The school then was the colonial system – the Infant Standard One to Six and all that; writing was taught; reading was taught; arithmetic, history, geography and all that were taught in those early days.


Did you make any big catch you can still recall while setting traps for birds and animals in your boyhood days?

We made a big catch. The excitement was that during the season when a particular tree fruits ripened and the birds used to assemble there. And then I was small but the bigger boys, we followed them and set traps on top of the trees and by the time we came back the next day, the birds were trapped there. Sometimes, the traps were set on the ground and the birds would fly down to eat some of the fruits that dropped down from the tree and they would be trapped, also.

And then the one I enjoyed most was fishing in the water; using the hook or using the scoop to fish. The stream flowed from one part to the other; there was the middle section but there was no fear of getting drowned because it was not all that deep. You can then use the scoop and catch a group of fish there. Then swimming in the shallow water and little things like that; chasing rats up stream and about the bush. Those were the little things we did as little boys.

Were you a good swimmer then?

Not necessarily but actually the river was not deep enough to warrant many to be suspended on top of the water because wherever you are, your legs would touch the ground. So there was no way to use the arm or the legs to be suspended or move fast in the water. So, I wasn’t a good swimmer then but when I stayed in Sapele, I used the opportunity to perfect swimming, although sometimes we had to go for firewood with canoes and all that. But that was a risk because I couldn’t swim as such if anything happened that would have been the end but the Benin end, the suburb of Benin, part of it had been taken up by development.

Do you still remember your secondary school era?

Some of the elementary school period had been in Ughelli. I went back to Benin and then later, I finished my elementary school in Sapele and for my secondary school, I had to come back to Benin, now they call it Erewele College. It was on the Benin side of Erewele but now they relocated to Orugbene which is on the other side of the Eva Valley. So that was the school I attended.

Do you still remember some of your childhood friends?

Yes. I do but what is very strange is that it was a rural environment particularly for the Urhobos, only very few survived secondary education and even went to university. And so because of that growing up to become adults and so on, all those people were wiped out of my memory.

The name Bruce Onobrakpeya is usually associated with arts not only in Nigeria but also beyond. At what point in your life did you take to arts?

Well, I will say strictly that I got into arts in secondary school; that was when I realized that art was perhaps the profession I should take. It started this way: At that time, art was not rated as anything that was high. In the secondary school, because of my natural interest, I had a club where we practiced art, book binding, drawing and all those things. Then in the class where we had a teacher who remarked myself, two sons of Oba Akenzua, we came first, second and third in the art subject. So all along in the school, the principal and the proprietor had noticed that I was very much interested in art.

In those days we used to have six years of secondary school, but one of the years, it was reduced to five years. That was when General Certificate of Education (GCE) was introduced. After the GCE, I left and then the principal and the proprietor called me back – I was expecting my GCE result – but they called me back to be in the school and just to be around with the boys, that’s to teach them art. That was the way I realized that they had spotted something in me. So their bringing me back to the school was a way to nurture me further and make me go into the art world. That was when I really realized that art was something I should pursue. The school career guidance was excellent at the time.

Were there some challenges you had while developing your art skill and how did you tackle them?

The challenge I faced was matriculating into the university. When the GCE system was introduced, there was slight variation from the University Cambridge at the time which when you passed very well, you can be sent for London matriculation as well. There were some changes and those changes brought some difficulties to some of us to matriculate at that university. But even at that time, the study of art was not very well defined. It was many years after I had passed out that the Nigerian College of Arts and Technology was set up and so I had left Benin and went to Edoghasa School. The Principal enrolled me to that Edoghasa College just about that time I had actually matriculated and gotten all the requirements I needed.

So matriculating to another university was difficult but I think at that time, there was no art university. The delay was actually to catch up with the introduction of the art in the university system and so on to the College of Technology and that benefited me. It was a challenge now that led to something good.

Can you count the number of art works you produced over the decades?

It’s very difficult. I used to take inventory but it’s now very difficult. In fact, it’s very, very difficult thing to do now. The reason is that I am experimental. One thing, I can examine it with a different text and even at that I do not regard an art work as a finished art. So something I did five years ago which perhaps I didn’t like very well, could be revisited and I will change what was there as well. So all these make it very, very complicated. If we have had some people following us, my career as an artist would create problem for visualisers and curators. So it’s quite difficult to put a tab on the number of art works but over the time I can see that I have gone through pinions and out of these pinions some works stand out as remarkable, masterpieces arts, something that can stand for that particular energy that I put into it, the discovery of one or two new major ideas.

Can you recall any of your works that could be regarded as remarkable masterpiece?

I know that in the 1960s, one of the pictures that actually made me very international is the Conference. It was a picture that came out of my childhood memory which I created. It was an animal which I had seen as a child on a wall. When I saw it – my mother who went up hill to fetch firewood didn’t quite understand why I screamed. As a child I never really got out of it. So I cried and held at my mother’s feet; and when we left the memory was there. And something happened in the studio which resulted in printing it and so on. It became actually my first masterpiece. Leopard came suddenly off memory but it was something that reminded me of that scene I had witnessed as a child.

So did the work achieve national and international recognition?

Yes, it did because after printing it on oil colours, I later made some prints out of it and the prints got published, disseminated and went round out there. That was the first real masterpiece which I did.

Thematically, what issues are usually reflected in your art works?

Well, I studied printing because I was moved by peer instincts because my friends Grillo, and others studied printing, and so I wanted to do it. But really, I am experimental and the graphics teacher wanted me to do print-making. So it was not until I left the college and attended workshops in which the father of Shegun Anife gave a talk, I discovered then that my area was print-making. So they described me as a master print-maker but actually that term stuck. After that, within the print-making I developed other techniques which are basically Nigerian technology; they are all in the art books and so on which are not elsewhere. And then from the print-making, I had gone into low-relief and three-dimensional and then even back into printing.

So it’s a question of development; the printing technique is one aligning to the other and so on and so forth. That is it. And I have many types that I have developed that are now in the books. If anybody is writing any type now on Nigeria, it is there and a few of those techniques I developed have entered international books. Things like the Plastographs, Plastocast, Ivorycast, Deep-delining and Yellowgraphs and all that. They are all originated from my practices.

At a point, you were accused of being into fetish things and idolatry. Why do you think people felt that way about you and your works?

It was because of the fact that I used our local images and natural things. I understand that people think that what I do seem to be fetish; that the images are not Christian and so they shouldn’t touch them. But that idea or line of thought is dying. A lot of people now see that nobody worships these things I created; they are just art works. They were created out of their distinct cultural values as well. And so people now understand the works in that perspective and appreciate them and collect them. That dark side of understanding is now no more.

What are these your images or paintings people associate with fetishes and idolatry?

Not as if they were referring to a particular image but the concept of the work of art. The concept might be either the feeling about the gods or feeling about the other world; something relating to ancestral worship, they are all pregnant with meanings and interpretations or philosophies. So because a local god is mentioned or a local philosophy is mentioned as well, they think that they lead to worship or adulation of those things, no. It is just to put down the culture which is built around them when we want to bring out a good lesson or something.

Do you have regrets in life? May be a piece of work you did and later regretted it?

No. I don’t have because I don’t decide to live a life full of controversies. But on the other hand, I do have regret. I painted the apostles in black colours. I didn’t use white figures. I used black images rather than oyibo (whites). So the Christian community, especially the Catholics didn’t like it and they wanted me to change it. The painting raised so much dust at the time. But because the Bishop was ahead of his audience, had spent about 40, 45, 50 years in the church he sort of overruled the matter. So, that painted images sort of created a dark hole in the history of my paintings, so to say, because of the materials used. You know, art work has to be dynamic or flexible often. But what came out of that is that a number of other works has come out of that exhibition, some of them I created. In fact, the work actually in thick modem is one of those things that came out of that one, ‘The Last Supper.’ Even though there are some other works now showing the Nigerian motive of entering into Christianity; the idea of Christness which must not be limited to the Jewish people only.


Why exactly did people feel offended by your painting of ‘The Last Supper’?

The ordinary people felt that the figures should be Oyibo (white colour); I must say that these people were not in Christianity by the time of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Well, my own strong argument is that Christness goes beyond mere dressing or skin colour; it is a universal message at every stage; the lesson that it taught …that we should have our local traditional Christ way in behaviour, not necessarily in mere dressing.

Could you recall how you met your wife?

Well, I met her when I was teaching and she was living in the college, a secondary school, and we met but she had schooled in Kano and she did her secondary school in Ijebu-Ode and Lagos area, and when we met, I had to travel to Kano and meet with the parents. Eventually, the opportunity came and we got married at home in Sapele. But she later worked in the Art Council and she had no inkling about art but because we’re together, she began to love art and her working in the Art Council actually made it possible for her to now appreciate art and then be in tune with me.

What actually attracted you to her? What are the qualities?

Well, first and foremost, she was like me Urhobo, beautiful and she carried all the attributes of moving culture forward. So that was a certain pedigree I observed in her. When it comes to reflecting on your background and using your culture, they are very much like it but that wasn’t there. She is a straightforward person. And when we get to Urhobo, we talk and the culture was clearly understood, what should be done. And we married and so on and so forth. Those were the pluses for me.

Is any of your children taking to art like you?

All of them are doing art but one of them, particularly, is teaching art at the University of Benin. He went to England and got his master’s and he is a teacher at the Yaba College of Technology. One of my sons, Ejiro, became a curator of arts; he owns a gallery and I think he still owns the gallery but it is more of the internet kind of thing. But he wants to come back to owning a physical gallery. So they are all into art.

The first born is an arts enthusiast. He knows more about arts and the development of the arts, my own development, looking into what I do. Then I have a daughter in Atlanta, USA. Before she left for America, she had taken my works for exhibition in Abuja. Now she is in Atlanta, she collects my works and they call her and she speaks about my art. She is very interested in arts. And I have another daughter who works in advertising company or agency and she also talks art.

So when you say ‘they,’ are all doing arts, how many are your children?

They are five children; three boys and two girls.

So yours can be called a family of artists?

Yes; a family of artists.

Are they thinking of documenting your life history, like a biography?

They are not doing that right now because they don’t have the need to do it. Right now, I have a team working with me. I have an average of about 16 people who are assisting me in Lagos. I have an art set-up at Agbarha-Otor, near Ughelli, Delta State which is similar to this one that we’re watching now, where people go to at least two times in a year, spending two sessions where I train, is a forum for bringing artists together, young and old, professors, teachers and even people in the area who have either dropped out of school or have no opportunity at all of going to study art. I bring them together. So, that again, is another place where documentation of my artworks is done.

Yesterday, a former Chief Judge of Anambra brought to me my artwork he bought since 1973 for me to autograph for him. So we originate a lot of books, a lot of autobiographies. Right now, the children don’t even have to… they don’t think about that because they believe they have materials on my works and they use them. And they make reference to them.

Many associate the name Bruce Onobrakpeya with Prof Ben Enwenwu, another master artist. Are both of you contemporaries?

When I left Zaria, I served apprenticeship under him in Lagos. I was with him. So he was ahead of us all. When I was at Zaria, he actually came to lecture us, talk to the art department, people in the university and so on. So he was ahead of us and by the time we came out, Ben had already made big name. He had printed and sculpted the Queen of England and he had attended international conferences and had made artworks for the museums and other places. So Ben had already been fully established. Ben is not our contemporary. Ben was far ahead of us.

Now is there anything you observed lacking in the modern, contemporary art?

Yes. What is lacking is a notion that art is a very expensive commodity and that it is very rare for an artwork to be easily affordable. But I think that art should be made to reach everybody and that the monetary aspect of art should be the last consideration. If the art is very good, with time it will acquire value and importance. So chasing money and making money from art first is a wrong idea. People should take their time to create because creativity is something that should be given more time so that you create something that will succeed, something that everybody sees and marvels at. You have to take your time to deliver that concept and bring it out clearly. It’s like writing. You have to make your idea quite clear.

What advice do you have for up-coming artists?

Plenty advice but what I want the up-coming artists to do is one of the things I’ve just told you about. When they are growing up and have left the art school or still in the art school, they should be attached to masters, to learn, not necessarily the techniques of the master but learn the way of life because as an artist, you must have challenges but when you are working with masters, it is possible you must understand those challenges when they come and once you understand the challenges, they are part of life and art. So that’s the first advice.

Then the second advice is that, like it has been done now in Life In My City Art Festival (LIMCAF), they could form a group that constitutes the ones that won the arts exhibition in 2019. They should tag themselves together, call themselves one name, work together and exhibit together, doing collaboration. So when one person in the group is mentioned, they touch all of them – Like in our own group then which was called the Zaria Art Society but they gave us the name Zaria Rebels. When they mentioned the name of one person in our group, all the other names showed up. So they should team up and work together. Also, although they may be working hard to get awards and all that but their interest now should not be the money that comes to them, they should make their works first to be in places where people who matter will see and appreciate them because it is handwork of an artist that actually sends more works to an artist. When an artist work is hanging in a public place, people will see it and ask: Who did this? And the credit will go back to the artist. And also, they should try to keep growing; it’s a fallacy to say that oh, you have reached this stage and you can stand on your own. The art frame goes with a Chinese proverb which says that the art is like going upstream anytime you stop the movement, you’re moving downstream rather than moving up. You’re working all the time and so there is no time for the artist to retire. An artist never retires because you’re working all the time because newer things are coming all the time because art is like discovery. You discover new things, you articulate them and then you make them visible. That is art. When the artist has done all these, then money, fame and all that will follow.

Do you still remember the number of solo exhibitions you have organized over the years?

This year I am actually going into a kind of retrospective mode. Just try to commemorate the first exhibition I had in 1959. So from that time to this time, it has been many exhibitions. In fact, I’ve lost count. There have been many, many exhibitions. There are books at Enugu, reference materials that can really give inkling to some of the artworks and exhibitions that we have done and so on. But one of the highlights of these exhibitions is that one exhibition I had in…One of the exhibitions later the work is called “The Last Supper.” The exhibition house like the Museum of African Arts in Washington DC has collected my works. My work is there in The Vatican in Rome, some in Japan, and some other collections. That is me.

How do you relax?

I read magazines. I attend exhibitions and travel. Here now in Enugu, I’m relaxing but most of the time, some of the time I am in the centre, Harmattan at Agbarha-Otor which is a very expansive galleries and so on. I travel out of the country and sometime I watch CNN, listen to our local news here. So these are some of the ways I think I relax. But early in the morning when I wake up, I try to jug a little bit.

At 87, you still look healthy and strong. Is there any secret to your fitness?

I don’t know whether there’s any secret. But I think that the basic for a man is to have something doing, something you are thinking about. And once you achieve that, the thought of other negative things will be off your mind and that makes you feel more relieved and healthy.

What is your basic philosophy of life?

My basic philosophy is that God has created every man for a purpose and you try to discover that purpose and work along it. That’s it. Once you do that you will be happy.

What kind of food, music appeal to you?

I eat eba; I eat starch. I eat oyorn, rice and I eat nothing special. When this traditional music whether from here or from abroad is on, I dance to the tune. Musicians come and go just like artists, so there is no particular musician I will consider my favourite.

naptu2:



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Onobrakpeya

Buffalo2:
Yes. With Yusuf Grillo, Ben Enwowu, Aina Onabolu, Twin 77, etc
God bless my fine art teacher, Mr Kolawole.

Incandescent:


Same here

zabuur:


Me too

Twins 7 7

naptu2:



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Onobrakpeya

naptu2:



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Onobrakpeya

SEGLIZ:
I learnt about him back in secondary school during my fine art classes.

naptu2:



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Onobrakpeya

SEGLIZ:
I learnt about him back in secondary school during my fine art classes.

perambulator:


excuse me, where did the professor come from?