A
CRITIQUE OF GERRY NNUBIA’S UNLICENSED EXHIBITION
Bold, daring,
radical, spontaneous, uninhibited, unlicensed... All these sums up Gerry
Nnubia’s “Unlicensed” exhibition. First mention of the theme creates a lingering
doubt on what the exhibition is all about. Unlicensed in the normal sense means
not given the license, or the permission to do something. In his radical,
experimental nature, Gerry turns it all around, giving a new meaning to an
already coined word. Gerry’s Unlicensed proves to be the artistic invention of
the literary term Poetic License, –
which is a phrase meaning that a writer is free to change facts or normal rules
of languages to achieve a particular feat. The artist ultimately does this by
turning the tables on the conventional forms through his acrylic flow – a style
that evolved from a ten year hibernation and experimentation. The artist seems
to have mastered this technique as the artworks strewn carefully round the
exhibition room at Omenka Gallery boldly express themselves with exciting and
vibrant enthusiasm. The viewer cannot but be caught in such enthusiasm as they
peer intently into each of the works, feeling an intimation with the message
they are passing across. He thus enters his comfort zone, as he experiments
with distorted figures and faces which play across the twenty one artworks on
display. These works exudes an air of
sacredness emanating from the sanctity of the carefree and vibrant nature of
the works which can be easily passed for a Cézanne or Picasso. Maybe that is
what gives it that aura but the unconventional yet, surprisingly, simple acrylic
flow is a new dimension that hits the nail on the head and sets Gerry apart.
The mysterious suspense brought about by the choice of theme and the
masterfully framed artworks which when viewed from afar send out a tempting
feeling of calmness and warmth compounds the exciting commotive flow which
Gerry artfully commands into an ingeniously crafted technique.
This excitement is
further heightened by his choice of colours, mainly raw primary colours (red,
blue and yellow), purple, brown and white. This colours form an interesting
mix, over-laden thickly with such harmonic and contrasting rhythmic flow.
In The Great Twister, he deftly makes use of
spatters of red, blue, black, brown and white carefully controlled and managed with
portions of etched out spots to bring out a windstorm ravaging to the sky. This
twister (the windstorm) builds up
from the bottom of the canvas and is so great that it is clouding out the sun.
Contorted faces can be seen in the makeup of the twister. Whether or not they play a part in the inspiration behind
the work, they serve as a paradox, which is embedded in each and every of the
works, not as an hocus-pocus to confuse the viewer but a maze through which the
artist invites viewers to find their way out; just as the artist freely poured
out his creative bent on the piece of canvas, the viewer is given a clean
slate, free from bias based on aesthetic feelings, to note down his/ her
interpretation of the works.
In his habitual
carefree manner, Gerry splatters his canvas with specks and bit to create a hazy
background for his May Blossoms II.
This playful,
daring interplay of colours in the background comes together to form the field
from which the boldly brought out blossoms in purple and white with green and
pink flowers stand out. It is interesting to note how the artist successfully
manages to make his theme dominant amidst the strong colours present in the
background of each of his works.
The artist does
not stop his technique experiment on the architectural and environmental forms.
The exhibition also brings an experimentalist point of view of the beauty, core
values, hope and aspiration inherent in the family and individuality in its
totality. The absurdities and vicissitudes of life is cross-examined with
metaphoric awe in the artist’s rendition of the bureaucratic class in Mr. & Mrs. Agbada Politician.
Gerry Nnubia, Mr. and Mrs. Agbada Politician, 2012,
Acrylic on Canvas, 77 x 61cm.
The elegance and
style is unmistakably brought out through the swift flowing brush strokes
strung across the canvas. The conceit and vainness of the do or die sought and
idolized power could be the driving force for parading the elegant style of the
politicians in strong but tedious primary colours. Despite this, the boldness
of the colours gives authoritativeness to the work and its theme which is
suggestive of power. The brown background might be a doodling of the secret
meeting place where underground and secret agendas are made. It been stained
with hazy red and light brown tones could pass for the agendas or affairs
carefully performed in secret and perfectly concealed but which often times
rear their ugly heads into the fore. Mr. and Mrs. Agbada Politician, in their
domineering personality as reflected in the coverage of space, backing the background
could be a consenting and overlooking of the hideous and unattractive agendas
going on in the
background or a firm stand against the tenets and ideals of the anti democratic
henchmen. A master of his trade, Gerry successfully presents different
possibilities to the viewer, creating options to interpret from through
brilliantly presented metaphors and paradoxes while artfully removing himself
from influencing the viewer’s judgement.
Gerry Nnubia, The Raging Sea, 2012, Acrylic on Canvas,
120 x 150cm.
The
Raging Sea contrasts sharply to the peace and calmness of
the sea bordering the gallery in which this piece of work is exhibited. Though
not quite meant by the artist it creates an unintended message, – the untamed
elements threatening the peace and tranquillity of the environment. The work in itself comes on strongly as the theme
suggests reflecting that Gerry allows himself be sapped into his theme and
spares no amount of colour and effort in bringing out the work to suit his
theme.
Unlicensed is one of the few exhibitions that shows
that art in its ever dynamic form is gradually taking a shift from the
conventional. Will the conventional art form and whims soon give way to the
experimental acrylic flow and other emerging styles and forms? Onl y time will
tell. As at the moment we are left with no choice than to relax and enjoy the
excitement that the experiments give.
OLORUNFUNMI TEMITOPE
OLORUNFUNMI TEMITOPE
