The Art
The paintings presented in the exhibition for The Naked Truth, and here in this book, were never intended to comfort and soothe the viewer. They may often reflect, instead, the “dreadful manners” described by Simon Schama in the introduction to his book, The Power of Art. “Merciless and wily,” as with the paintings selected by Schama for his book, it is the intention of the paintings for this exhibit to “grab you in a headlock, rough up your composure, and then proceed in short order to rearrange your sense of reality.” In their creation, each painting seemed to take on a life of its own, transforming me as both artist and as an observer of the long history and current events surrounding justice and equality, and rearranging my own sense of reality.
For 400 years, American culture and nationhood have been haunted, stalked, and tormented by the reality and symbols of racial injustice – the chains, the noose, the bullets. Now, well into the 21st century, the labels and suspicions and accusations, the marchings and riots, the righteous indignation, and “good trouble” rise again and again as a shadow on the land and as a spotlight on the hypocrisy of a nation that saw itself as the standard-bearer for “freedom.” For me, this project began as a demonstration of ways in which art could spark dialogue on college campuses around the anger and cultural segregation ignited by protests with the shooting of another unarmed black man by police. As I worked on these paintings, time and world events caught up with me. The frequency and horror of violence and suppression escalated, magnifying social injustice, both nationally and internationally, including my home country of Nigeria. But to gain true life and meaning, these paintings must move the viewer beyond the initial reaction -tears, anger, denial – and as a starting point, defining and redefining issues in ways that people can move beyond slogans and entrenched beliefs, and into real dialogue. Each audience will be different, bringing personal experience and reflection, and opinion. And every opinion matters. The wide range of historical events; political and religious and personal perspectives; means that various paintings will touch and affect audience members differently, spurring conversation. In that give and take of meaningful dialogue, gallery visitors may come around to individual responsibility – “What can I do?'” – and individual and group action plans through follow-up workshops and lectures. It can often be something as simple as teachers or students selecting one or two pieces of art and connecting on a personal level through the creation of poetry, music, video, dance, or their own interpretation of the issue or event. Where politics so often fail, these elements of cultural diplomacy can open new lines of communication and reasonable action plans that can be embraced by communities.
Now, with the intense focus on equality and social justice – in politics, in the arts, in sports and advertising – the country and the world, it seems, is poised to at last bridge gaps through meaningful dialogue and united action. The power of the paintings have informed my own personal transformation, including the name change for my gallery from Art Village Gallery to Urevbu Contemporary, expanding beyond the vision to encompass the full breadth of art as power.