DARE BABALOLA LAWSON: BEYOND OSHOGBOART TRADITION
With the resilience in the steady strides of a youth corps member on an endurance trek, Dare Babalola Lawson finds his course away from the Osogbo art tradition in his latest solo exhibition, writes Yinka Olatunbosun
The fourth solo exhibition of the works of Dare Babalola Lawson at the ground floor of the Moor House, Ikoyi, Lagos is an eye-opener on the direction that contemporary Nigerian art heads. Artists are beginning to develop new styles of expression while building on their traditional knowledge. On his part, Lawson had started painting since 1990. One art critic and blogger, Jess Castellote thought he was 20 years late, and that he fits into the profile of the Osogbo artists of the 70s and 80s, judging from his contribution to the art.
Unlike many contemporary artists, Lawson is not a product of the four-walled art education. He was an apprentice to established names like Rufus Ogundele and Femi Johnson while tapping his imagery from Yoruba two-dimensional decorative patterns. Prior to developing his skills in visual arts, he had worked as a dancer and props manager with the Abudi Cultural Group, which was a common phenomenon in the circle of Osogbo artists. Lawson is not a man of many words but through his body of works, he has proven to be a good artist-craftsman by appropriating patterns, symbols and motifs taken from calabash decorations, textiles, embroidery, pottery and traditional carvings and integrating them into compositions that transcend the twodimensionality of Yoruba tradition.
Titled Original Self, the show is a reflection of Lawson’s reasoning that every new collection should make the statement of originality, philosophy and passion.
“When you train under someone, you have to move on and create your own style and to be known in the society,” he disclosed. “I don’t want to be anybody; I just want to be myself. That is why I called this exhibition, Original Self. Yes, I have made name for myself. There is one book about Lagos art collectors or so, my name was listed in it.”
In some quarters, it is believed that
the Osogbo art tradition is dying. But after the arrival of expatriates such as Susanne Wenger and Ulli Beier on the scene, whose works bore striking resemblance to the Osogbo artists such as Jimoh Buraimoh and Taiwo Olaniyi otherwise known as Twins SevenSeven, the cultural elements in the art were preserved. Lawson, who learnt from these Osogbo greats doesn’t think an artist must religiously toe the line of his predecessors.
“Art is global,” he argued. “I don’t believe one has to confine himself into a particular tradition. You can pick styles from anywhere.”
Lawson sometimes combines different techniques in one piece. That approach is not for the lazy ones, according to him.
“People are running away from my style,” he pointed out. “Look at this one next to me, it is a fusion of pen, ink and acrylic.”
Some of his works picture societal issues. In the piece titled, “Mr&Mrs’’, he probes into the psyche of the viewer who often sees what happens on the surface and is never a part of the actual union of man and woman called marriage.
Meanwhile, his next exhibition will be in October. In spite of himself, he is still very deep into fabric designs.
“I assist my wife in designing clothes. I hardly repeat patterns because what I create is usually spontaneous. The same thing applies to my art. I change my style with time. You may not see anything like these in three years’ time. One of my mentors, Femi Johnson is always happy to see my works. At the last exhibition I had in Bogobiri, he came all the way from Iragbiji to see the works. He is one of the founders of the Osogbo Artists Movement.”
Whether art is lucrative or not for him, Lawson has adopted a moderate lifestyle which he found instructive for younger ones.
“I am doing fine. At least, I have a wife. I met her as a designer and she loves what she does. I don’t have to live an extravagant life.
“But art cannot really sustain you,” he remarked as he took his reporter- guest to the floor where his works were displayed. “You may need to have other means of income to survive. It takes a lot of hard work, resilience and dedication. In this part of the world, people believe so much in certificates. When you don’t have, you have to struggle for recognition.”
Lawson’s journey into self-discovery began in 1996 when he met Chike Nwagbogu, the owner of Nimbus Art Centre. He presented his body of works to him but Chike told him that he would not be able to hang his works simply because the Osogbo artists were always doing the same thing.
“I began to think that I had to do something special that what I was doing. After a year, I had a couple of works done and I showed them to my friends who were quite excited to see the new pieces.”
He showed off his work titled “Panlongo dancer” while explaining that “people are just being merry in the midst of agony.”
“I have been able to exhibit with most of the great artists in Nigeria, West and South Africa,” he added. “I have been able to exhibit in many places; places that I never expected I would be able to exhibit in the next 20 years both home and abroad.”
Lawson was born in Kwara State but hails from Ugbole-Ekiti, Ekiti State. His current exhibition runs till June 22.