By Prisca Sam-Duru Right from the main road, along Itokin road Itamaga, Ikorodu, you would see massive sculptures of different domestic an...
By Prisca Sam-Duru
Right from the main road, along Itokin road Itamaga, Ikorodu, you would see massive sculptures of different domestic and wild animals. A number of huge masks with several expressions are also conspicuously hung round the front gate. These colourful art pieces which literally usher you into the Oshodi Art Gallery, OAG, at the same time, impresses upon you that there are definitely more beautiful works inside the gallery.
The gallery’s surrounding is aesthetically designed to constantly appeal to art lovers, but October 1st, 2020, being day Nigeria marked her 60th birthday, saw the gallery, looking more creatively adorned and captivating. It bubbled with activities celebrating not just the country but also artists and other creatives who have given their all to promote Nigeria’s image, heritage as well as grow her economy.
The gallery according to its founder and Chief Executive Officer, Paul Oshodi, houses over seventeen thousand works of art in different genres. The works he hinted, are traditional carvings and paintings of legends, notable historical events, and things seen around the environment. There are also works representing animals including those that are extinct which are in different forms, colours, shapes and sizes.
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“A lot of art pieces here also represent diverse cultures and iconic figures that cut across ethnic groups. You can see carvings of all the Obas who have ruled Benin kingdom. They are carved from a wood known as ‘okpekpe’, which is a very strong wood that can last for over one thousand years. The portraiture of Queen Moremi made from ‘Akpa’ wood, is designed to last for more than 500 years. We also have pieces that are functional art which can serve purpose in the sitting room and elsewhere”, Oshodi explained.
Wondering how the gallery survives in such a place that looks like it may not appreciate art as desired, the Gallery’s Media Consultant, Sunnie Odafe who led guests on a tour round the facility, disclosed that the location of the gallery does not in anyway, hinder its operation or sales.
“It’s a premium market, it’s not like buying and selling he noted, adding “We don’t just dive into the market. We use events such as festivals to drive the works. An art piece here can cover the cost of the whole of this place for a month. We do sell actually but we don’t want to sell like a hungry art gallery”.
“Apart from Nike Art gallery, there is no other art gallery as big as this in Nigeria. Her space is not even as big as this. No other art gallery cuts across Nigeria with art pieces like this place. So our major strength in driving our products to the public without affecting the brand, which we are particular about, is to peg in events on arts and culture, and socio-moral, economic issues that interface with people’s heritage and tourism”, Odafe added.
Disclosing some of OAG’s plans for the future, Odafe said the gallery is discussing with at least about top five-star hotels in the country where it can begin to introduce things like urban art renaissance, to bring the arts to the metropolis.
“Imagine that Oshodi Art Gallery is getting some subvention from the government, what this place will look like. Imagine that there are indoor aquariums, museums, it will drive tourism. Some of our histories are lost but, you have most of them here. We create from beginning to end. Do you know that some of our artists travel abroad to buy works documenting our history and replicate them here? That’s why you see works representing Are Ona Kakanfo, Queen Amina, Emir, and his guard, Oba of Benin and many others”, he stated.
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