IWE - main body of work for the solo exhibition

Iwe (1). Oil on board, 2015. 123 x 82 cm.

 

Iwe (2). Oil on board, 2015. 123 x 82 cm.

 

Iwe - Reclining figure reading. Oil on board, 2016. 82 x 62 cm.

 

Iwe - a milestone. Oil on board, 2016. 82 x 62 cm.

 

Iwe - we must excel! Oil on board, 2016. 82 x 62 cm.

Atilogwu dancers. Oil on board, 2016. 82 x 62 cm.

 

Brown and green tops (Abeokuta). Oil on board, 2016. 82 x 62 cm.

 

In old Yaba. Oil on board, 2016. 82 x 62 cm.

 

In the morning. Oil on board, 2016. 82 x 62 cm.

 

Iwe (3). Oil on board, 2015. 123 x 82 cm.

 

Iwe (4). Oil on board, 2016. 123 x 82 cm.

 

Iwe (5). Oil on board, 2016. 42 x 34 cm.

 

Iwe - girl reading. Oil on board, 2016. 82 x 62 cm.

 

Iwe - the nuances. Oil on board, 2016. 82 x 62 cm.

 

Iwe - the feeling. Oil on board, 2016. 123 x 82 cm.

 

Old house on Old Yaba Road. Oil on board, 2016. 82 x 62 cm.

 

Polo (1). Oil on board, 2016. 82 x 62 cm.

 

Polo (2). Oil on board, 2016. 82 x 62 cm.

 

Sustenance. Oil on board, 2016. 30 x 30 cm.

 

The sustained. Oil on board, 2016. 30 x 30 cm.

 

Unpainted (Ibadan). Oil on board, 2016. 82 x 62 cm.

 

Untitled. Oil on board, 2016. 123 x 82 cm.

 

Within striking distance. Oil on board, 2016. 82 x 62 cm.

 

IWE - the thoughts, the theme, the exhortation

Iwe is a Yoruba word for book. However, depending on the way and context in which it is used, it can pertain to intelligence, study, education and literacy.

Nigeria is a great nation of resources and talent. It's people are amongst the world's brightest, most gifted and most hard working. This is so, especially in the area of education. There is this cultural and  almost religious drive to excel academically that comes across. A university education and further similar tertiary milestones being very highly rated and somewhat proudly brandished if/when accomplished.
There is absolutely no doubt that education is important. However my sensibilities were challenged in a conversation with a dear friend not too long ago. I was fascinated by his musing that, generally, despite our very high academic standards, achievements and qualifications these do not seem to come across in our societal and infrastructural existence.
It did not seem, he said, that all our know how, many acquired from some of the very best institutions of the world were making a difference and really affecting our polity.

Thinking about this further, and going by my own assessment of this phenomenon, based on my own personal experiences, both growing up in Nigeria and from interactions with other Nigerian parents in the diaspora, I think that sometimes we may need to carefully contemplate what "education" means. What is it for, what is the motivation and how do we intend to wield it's undeniable power? How exactly will we use it as a tool, a precious one that it is, once entrusted to us? Will we truly realise and accept that qualifications and accolades in themselves are not necessarily what makes us who we are, or at least what will bring lasting fulfilment, but rather how we impact our world and the tangible imprints we leave behind in the sands of time.

While this may indeed not only pertain to the Nigerian and Nigerian diaspora situation, it nevertheless is, I think, something that is perhaps more pertinent in it's urgency to us. As we take a good look all around us, pondering our unique challenges, and therefore opportunities to dispense the great good that each of us carries, I think fulfilment and a sense of an accomplished life's mission will be the reward collectively and individually.
I also think that if we sincerely reflected on those rhetorical questions posed in the previous paragraph, then we will at least have begin a paradigm shift in our mindset that should ultimately bring us to a desirable place, while giving us renewed confidence to confront the specific challenges of the age and world we currently live in

Gbenga Orimoloye
April 2016