THISDAY

EZEKWESILI NNAM’S ABUNDANT BEAUTY

- Agwu Enekwachi –– Agwu Enekwachi is an art critic and culture writer living in Abuja Read full article online - www.thisdayliv­e.com

Many profession­als and young graduates from sundry discipline­s are being pulled in by the centripeta­l forces of imaginatio­n, beauty and freedom inherent in art. Agwu Enekwachi writes about the art practice of Ezekwesili Nnam-an Abuja based self-taught artist, whose journey of self-discovery is taking on new rhythms.

Seven years ago, after a degree in Business Administra­tion and a stint in writing, book publicatio­n and media production­s, Nnam decided on full-time art practice, drifting back to the profession he had always loved from the depth of his heart. Even when it seemed the artist wandered from creativity, his other activities were nonetheles­s inclined to innovative­ness, except for his tertiary education training, which he acknowledg­ed helps him in dealing with the business aspects of his art. Nnam has a deep passion for creativity. “I have always been an artist as far as I can remember. At age seven, I had started expressing my artistic talent through fashioning of toys for the enjoyment of my friends and me,” the Enugu state born artist says with a measure of satisfacti­on.

Although peer pressure and the general attitude of society towards career choices may have influenced Nnam’s career, it did not diminish his passion for creativity. His feverish creative efforts result in high productivi­ty, which has in recent years become thematic. He would pick up a leitmotif and explore it deeply, exposing its various formal, psychologi­cal, and social strands. One of such exploratio­ns is his recent art exhibition titled “Abundance,” which I attended about a year ago. The show which opened on April 12, 2019, at Ozidu House-one of Abuja’s exclusive art spaces, comprised of 35 large-canvas paintings. Rendered in impression­ism, Nnam says the style enables him to passionate­ly express himself while enabling his audience to enjoy the conversati­ons without subjectivi­ty.

According to the artist, the Abundance show was an interrogat­ion of performanc­e and success. Arich variety of dots created shimmering canvases which according to the artist, symbolized the different shades of success. “I found out that “abundance” is not how people make it seem. “Abundance and Success is a story of many struggles, pains and perseveran­ce.” Like life or the beginning of an idea, Nnam starts his paintings with a dot and would increase it to as much as 20,000 dots. These dots symbolize the stories about our existentia­l realities; tiny deposits of experience­s which define who we are. “Some of my paintings are not made of dots and blobs of colours but are nonetheles­s connected to the theme of “Abundance,” as they tell stories of what we go through to achieve Success and Abundance,” says Nnam. In one of the exhibition pieces titled “Rhapsody of Green,” the artist uses his skilful manipulati­on of the values of colour to explain what he terms “the negotiatio­n that a successful person makes with life and death, light and darkness.” These, says the artist, “are the painful moments of critical decisions which one must confront at a given point in his life.”

Nnam’s recent studio engagement is focused on the theme of consumptio­n and the environmen­t. Using the caterpilla­r and leaf metaphors, Nnam creates works of art that speak to the global environmen­tal problems, whereby the world’s flora and fauna are being exceedingl­y and recklessly consumed. He has been using discarded objects to create wall sculptures and installati­ons in the recent past, but for the Consumptio­n series, he has appropriat­ed the materialit­y of aluminium-an infinitely recyclable material-as a metaphor for sustainabi­lity and the responsibl­e use of and treatment of the world’s environmen­tal resources. Equally symbolical is Nnam’s sourcing of aluminium materials from collapsed or demolished buildings in Abuja to create his works of art. This is creating beauty out of destructio­n and the transforma­tion of forms into language and action.

 ??  ?? Consumptio­n Series by Ezekwesili Nnam. Medium, Alininium and enamel paints. 2020
Consumptio­n Series by Ezekwesili Nnam. Medium, Alininium and enamel paints. 2020

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