For the love of art

ABUJA, Nigeria—Tony Oshiame sat outside on a white plastic chair before his easel and canvas, a few feet from the entrance to the International Institute for Creative Development (IICD) in Abuja, Nigeria. At 10 a.m., the 49-year-old artist was already engrossed in his nearly completed painting of a praying woman. Music played from his Tecno phone while his brown paintbrush made its way across the woman’s dark-skinned face.

Oshiame was creating the painting for an annual church exhibition. “I chose to do a praying woman because what you put in your house tells who you are,” he said.

A Lagos state–based artist, Oshiame uses IICD’s working space as one of the perks of joining the institute, which runs exhibitions and forums and sponsors some artists for residencies abroad. For Nigerian artists like Oshiame, surviving means striving: In a country roiled by an economic recession and plagued by terrorists in the northeast, common appreciation for artwork is limited. To encourage broader interest, centers like the IICD, galleries, and other art communities are trying to support local artists and create more access to their works.

Oshiame works mostly on contemporary art culled from the culture and daily events. One of his paintings is based on the character Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart, a 1958 novel by renowned Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. A graduate of painting and general arts, Oshiame describes painting as his passion.

“It’s important to do things that give you joy,” he said. “Even when the chips are down, you stay afloat.”

For Oshiame, staying afloat is a challenge. The majority of Nigerians value art not as an investment but only for its aesthetic value, he said, making many people unwilling to spend money on artwork. His membership at IICD has helped somewhat: Four of his artworks are displayed in the exhibition center, and he hopes to take part in a Swedish residency program next year.

In Abuja’s central district, an arts and crafts village sits in contrast with the multistory hotel across the street and the modern shopping complex behind it. The village features rows of brick huts with thatched roofs. Sellers range from artists to tie-dye workers to wood carvers. The arts village first emerged in 2003 when Nigeria hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Abuja’s former governor reopened the village in 2006 as a permanent setting.

Durotimi Babatunde, a 32-year-old painter, sat near his hut in the village as he used paint tubes to finish a piece depicting fishermen in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region. Babatunde employs a style he calls “interlockism”: He uses black paint and other colors to create intersecting lines over each piece. The black interlocks send an underlying message about African heritage, he said.

“The black is to convey the message to the public that black is essential in the midst of other colors,” Babatunde explained. “The intersection of the colors also signifies unity.”

Artists in the village often battle with the minimal appreciation people have for art, Babatunde said. Buyers bargain extensively before settling on a price. But the village’s tourist market remains strong. Several foreigners have patronized Babatunde’s artworks since he opened shop in the village three years ago.

Kennedy Egakun, a wood carver, worked on the tusk of a carved elephant inside his own hut. His hut featured traditional terra-cotta sculptures and various woodcarvings, including tables and chairs. Trevor Gagnier, a 53-year-old pilot from Toronto, stopped at Egakun’s hut as he made his fourth visit to the village, this time with a friend tagging along. On previous visits, Gagnier bought several paintings and an alligator-skin purse. He believes the arts and crafts village has the potential to further expand its tourist appeal.

“They should market it even more,” Gagnier said, as he suggested a secondary location in Abuja’s international airport. “For a lot of foreigners, if they see a sign somewhere, they’ll definitely stop by.”

In Abuja’s Wuse 2, the two-story Thought Pyramid Art Centre has small wooden art pieces glued to its stone walls. The center’s traditional bronze gates and standing sculptures lead the way into its more contemporary exhibition halls. Kalu Orji, the program officer, said the center tries to distinguish itself from the stereotypical art gallery by promoting other creative endeavors like fashion, and by hosting book launches. The gallery features the works of several Nigerian artists ranging from nature paintings to artworks crafted from recycled materials.

Yakuza Hassan, a 47-year-old banker, said he saw the center while driving and decided to pay a visit. For him, art goes beyond aesthetics to cultural preservation. He likened it to speaking his native language with his children.“I make sure we speak Hausa because I don’t want the culture to die,” Hassan said. “So I feel we have art pieces like this to continue to transmit the culture.”