Colours, assemblages, Chinze Ojobo’s Unfinished Business glows in National Museum

GOOD art always grips, even when they tilt against normal trends. That may explain the art of Chinze Ojobo which went on display last Tuesday at the National Museum Onikan Lagos.

    The show tagged Unfinished Business was a good outing given the comments of guests. Though groomed in the aesthetic norms of the uli art which her undergraduate art school, University of Nigeria Nsukka(UNN) is known for, the multitalented Enugu state born artist displayed a collection of painting that dazzled the audience.

    On entrance inside the main hall of the museum, the walls of the hall are adorned with over 20 pieces.  The set of paintings in the first large hall is bewildering to the eyes. A cursory look at the paintings leaves the impressions of adroitly, especially charming red, yellow and blue colours which she adopted to suit her mixed media approach.  Since the exhibition opened on March 22, a large number of visitors make the round daily.

       A walk into the second space of the museum by the right yield further richer interpretations. The more you look, the more you see. Chinze’s assemblages of mixed media made up of jute bags, plexy glass and found objects, which she juxtaposingly used to tell the story of the Girl Child, human trafficking and menace of the new media in social communications makes her a highly gifted artist.  Clearly apparent in Chinze’s art is the use of bold primary colours cut from African fabric beautifully displayed, contrasting with the burlap brownish background. Her titles explore issues of social realities as represented in such work asSocial Media.

   Here on the canvas is the image of a man and woman on who looks like on a dating outing, as seen in the display of mineral drink on their table but are hooked on the new media gadgets. Each of them is addicted to the modern day social media, a disease of new media where, internet seems to have taken over verbal communication among the youths. The work is an assemblage, with three dimensional elements projecting from the substrata.

    Similarly, Seed of Potential is an installationrendered in plexy glass mosaic technique attached to dyed indigo coloured jute bags. Here you see the use of two bold and bright primary colours, yellow and red, graciously spaced and carefully distorted to create harmonious balance between the patterns. The use of the white mosaic plexy glass created a contrast, thereby exposing the relevance of the red and yellow.

Unfinished Business also showcased such titles asThe Girl Child, Play to Win, Surulere at Sunset, Though I walk through the Shadow, Seed of Potential among others.

   A consummate believer in the use of colours, Chinze’s sense of expression is marked by clarity of colours. Her work is bold and exuberant.

Thematically, Unfinished Business comes to mind that there is much to learn from contemporary society.  Chinze, a multi-talented artist who is also a widely exhibited artist obtained her degree from University of Nigeria Nsukka where she studied Fine and Applied Arts. Since debuting into the art scene, she has travelled to cities around the world, where she has absorbed the arts and culture of these environments. She also experiments with water colours and metal and wood works which was recognized by the Ministry of Art and Culture California.

    The artist hint of her placing high premium on independence of mind while at work. “No artist can fulfill his or her destiny by working another’s path. Through my work I search and create the kind of work I thought is good. I seek for change, for innovation and renewal inspired by the drive for originality,’’ Chinze said.

     The result is somewhat artworks that sticks to the mind of the viewer’s even long after the encounter with the pieces as displayed Tuesday.

     Since she debuted as an exhibiting artist many years ago, through Chief Frank Okonta’s curated solo exhibition, Chinze has continued to serve arts that juggles mind. She engages audience with her remarkable dexterity in the use of line, forms and deployment of spot colours to create interesting paintings.

        Apprising the Unfinished Business, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) who declared the exhibition open said Chinze is a gifted artist who demonstrates uncanny insight, amazing creative imagination and the ability to bring her unique vision into reality. The result is both beautiful and compelling as well as thrilling the power of her creativity.