CH OF A COLOSSUS
said he still had other engagements. Soyinka’s own took us for more than a year. And again, we don’t have sponsorship. In this first edition, we were lucky to have sponsors. Let me tell you the demands of this project. You have to provide accommodation, for the guests for a dozen artists, for journalists, and materials as well. We need sponsorship,’’ he pointed out.
Away from the living legends, Ajayi’s studio has been working in partnership with other artists in an exchange programme that to keep the art community vibrant. His argument was that there can’t be a vibrant nation without a vibrant culture sector. He is hopeful that new administration would prioritise this sector by establishing a museum of contemporary art to house all artistic efforts that contribute to global culture. In turn, the museum will attract tourists and investors.
“The museum will provide employment for those who are working there. It will generate income because the museum will have the capacity to make publications for people to buy and a café where people can mill around and have some form of refreshment. Also, artists should be able to obtain grants. In the past administration, I am aware that some grants were given to some people in fashion and movie to start their businesses. We need an artist’s hub or community. You can go to a district abroad and all you’d see would be galleries and museum. We need things like that if we are to have a robust art sector.’’
On his own, Ajayi had developed a portfolio from his days as a student at Auchi Polytechnic where he graduated as a painting major in 1984. He had been a cartoonist with the Nigerian observer in Benin City between 1980 and 1982.
Since 1986, he has been at the National Arts Theatre working as a full time artist. He was the chairman of the Nigerian Society of Artists (Lagos chapter), a Trustee of the Visual Art Society of Nigeria (VASON), and Guild of Professional Fine Artist Nigeria (GFA). He has recently opened the studio at Onikan for proximity’s sake. Acoording to him, the new studio will take care of art collectors who are unsure of their safety at the National Theatre. Ajayi is not discouraged by the notion that it is only the man who has eaten five-square meal that buys paintings. But that is not true.
“In fact, the best place to go when you are cramped is to go and see an art exhibition. They have psychological therapy in them. We are being distracted by our poor economy. How many people go to their hometowns during holidays? People don’t travel much not because they don’t want to but the money you spend on entertaining folks is an issue.
“Sometimes, you use your works to comment. The last exhibition we had was at Terra Kulture, titled, ‘Bring Back Our Men’. Somebody asked, ‘What does that mean?’ I said there are no men in Nigeria anymore. There is a difference between a man and a male. A male is a biological expression; a man is about being responsible. That is why when a woman is so good, you’d say ‘that woman na man’.
“In the period of war, part of the Geneva convention about war is that there are some places you don’t evade: places of worship and the museum. You must not touch those places,’’ he observed.
Ajayi added that culture is a very strong tool; someone can be colonised with a simple aspect as food. He cited the example of Chinese restaurants that are being replicated all over the world to promote Chinese culture. It is an effortless strategy in colonising people to accept certain aspects of their culture and imbibe them.
“Right now if you want to impress somebody, you’ll say I just ate Chinese,’’ said Ajayi.
The cerebral artist left his guests with the thought on what the government could do for the arts and culture that will have a ripple effect on the economy of the Nigerian state. Grants and other incentives that could foster development are part of the package that can move the artists from where he is to where he should be.