By Emmanuel Daraloye
Art is a broad concept. Reviews and comments are always subjective. What elicits excitement from you, might make the next person awful, or sound ridiculous. Just like life, art is in binary.
Last week, I checked out an artwork and it has made me appreciate life more, and perhaps, give me kudos to the creator while also being in awe of the excellence of the artist. His ingenuity is lovely to see.
The Nigerian born artist’s Favour Agumadu’s recent art exhibition of Death’s Goblets at “Letchworth Open Exhibition” at Broadway Gallery, United Kingdom caught my attention, while he is known for other notable works, I am more interested in this one. It looks simple yet on a deeper level, it reveals numerous angles. From the social, political and economical sense.
Death’s Goblets is a dazzling take on death and life. A total of twelve brown cigarettes and three white cigarettes are scattered on this artwork, they were burned at various levels. Almost all of them are half way into the burning.
The piece of art speaks on the choices we make even when we know that the consequences could be death. Death’s Goblets is a delightful expository into smoking culture. The artist who recently emigrated to the United Kingdom has experienced some culture shock.
In Nigeria, his country of birth, the people who indulged in smoking are sometimes secretive about it and usually hide whenever they are indulging in it, however in the United Kingdom, it is open. This shock served as one of the inspirations behind the artwork.
Favour Agumadu’s Death’s Goblet artwork is a 3D composite of numerous materials, held by adhesive and knots. The smoked cigarette butts are held to copper pillars placed on a beautiful metal structure right in the center.
At first glance, it is hard to understand what it looks like or portrayed. For a first timer, this artwork might elicit a lot of reaction. Excitement, bewilderment, sadness and more.
It’s hard to grasp what the artwork is about until one gets closer, scrutinize it. That’s one of the beauties of artwork. The copper wires symbolizes mortality while the cigarette butts represent death.
The different lengths of the wires signify the different lifespan of people. While smoking is a collectively harmful ordeal, its effects on individuals vary. From the smoker to the second hand smoker, likewise the environment.
The war against smoking seems to be on the downside however with an artist of Favour Agumadu status, it is imperative for the necessary authorities to take a deeper and closer look at the danger it portents for the people.
He is just one in the multitude yet this type of artistic exercise should be celebrated. While the artwork is currently domiciled in the United Kingdom, I hope in months to come, Continental and world tours should be explored. More people should witness the brilliance of Favour Agumadu
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