Onyebe Ella is a Nigerian artist whose flair for colour stands out. A visitor to her exhibition in Abuja would not but wonder how colour could be so many yet welcoming and warming. The artist in this interview discusses her love for colours and creativity.
COVID-19 affected several things in the country, how are you coping?
Artists have been facing challenges in the country before COVID-19. COVID-19 affected the whole world and some artists have died so it has not been easy from 2020 till date. The art market is trying to come back. Art is a business and COVI-19 affected several artists. The good thing about the lockdown was that we were able to stay indoors and continue painting. We were able to express ourselves though we were still living with the fears of the virus.
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Did this affect your works in anyway?
Anything that hurts, makes you happy, or otherwise, reflect on your work. So, the only good side of it is that we were able to stay in one place to concentrate on our works. The art market is still not easy in Nigeria. And with COVID-19, art has not been what it used to be. Then, we had opportunities for international exhibitions and then with the National Gallery of Arts but for a long time, we have not had anything because of COVID-19. There were challenges in the country before COVID-19 how much more when the COVID-19 came. I am grateful for the kind of people we are in Nigeria; there is no amount of challenge that can pull us down because we never give up. We keep pushing.
The major challenge is people buying your work. A lot of people love art but they cannot pay for it because they are not well paid. Before anybody can buy artwork, they will tell you that they have to feed the family and pay for other things. By the time they hear the price, they’d say it is expensive. People fail to understand that for every artwork, something leaves the artist in form of their power of creativity. An artist cannot stop being an artist because of the economy of the country. There are clients who patronise our arts; they are few lovers of art. We are praying to meet those clients that will always buy our works. It gives artists an opportunity to produce better work but if you are not selling your work, it is as if you are piling up so many ideas in your head and if you produce them, you might not have space to keep them.
We still want more people to be aware of art and value art. Some people reduce art to some images on the canvas, it is not. It is a creative power given by God to humans.
Do you think it is a poor economic state or mindset that stops some people from purchasing artwork?
It is not just the mindset. Nigerians love arts because of the conversations I have had with individuals. I see how people are excited when they see a beautiful artwork so I cannot say it is the mindset; I would say it is because they cannot afford it. Therefore, they begin to program their mind and try to make you sell it so cheap. I am not saying artwork should be expensive but there are artworks that take you so much time to produce. I have an artwork here, ‘Bond,’ it took me from April 11, 2019, to June 15, 2020, to finish it. The painting is very colourful with different patterns. The painting is about 5 by 5 feet. Original art is fascinating because it can never be the same. It is even somehow a crime for you to repeat a painting. An original piece of art is very expensive because it is just one piece.
Awareness is also a factor. Some people get very busy so they might not attend exhibitions while some people are scared by the price of the artwork but I know that people love art. I want an avenue where we can encourage Nigerian artists because we are struggling seriously and we are doing so well.
How should artists be encouraged?
Nigerians should show love to the artists. They should be appreciated and their works should be bought. Make them understand that they are doing well. Support the Nigerian artists whichever way, it does not have to be the government alone. Make them proud. If you promote an artist, you are promoting the country. Help them to be able to achieve their dreams. My works belong to the whole country. It belongs to Benue State, to every Nigerian woman and people with hearing disability; that is how important it is. We need to support upcoming artists; those are the ones that are facing serious challenges because they want to move forward and the artists ahead of them are struggling. What are they coming to take? We don’t want them to be discouraged. Make it work for them so that they can express themselves.
Why do you think identity is important to artists?
If you drop a pen, everybody will hear and know the spot it dropped because of the sound. So is it with identity! It will be easy for people to locate you, find you for what you do. So, it is important for artists to have an identity. The kind of work you do does not stop you from expressing yourself. I have other paintings that I got online and I try to express myself with that kind of painting but I have my own identity. Most Nigerian artists have similarities, if an artist comes here and sees my works, he would be encouraged and might want to do the same. Art is about inspiration.
Why are colours important to you?
Colours are beautiful, they make you happy. The main reason I got into art was that I wanted to know about colours, I actually went into art because of colours but then I later realised it is wider than I had thought. Colours help me to express myself. No so many artists find it easy to express themselves with colours, though digital arts is changing that. Colour brings excitement. They are powerful, they bring joy, happiness.
I am fearless with colours because I have a passion for it. I don’t paint alone; I usually have conversations with God when I paint. God is actually the reason I do what I do today. If you see my work, you are excited. I am not afraid to use colours.
When it comes to art, do you have any fear?
I no longer have fears. The fear I have is when you cannot survive being an artist. My art sells, so I don’t have problems for now. There was a time they were not selling because I was bringing out something new and it was not really accepted. There was a time that my works sold more in the international market. I am talking about the fear because there are some artists that are so good but they barely feed. They are facing difficulty in the market. There are artists that had diverted to other occupations because they cannot cope anymore. I am so sad because these are talented people. That looks like fear but for me, I keep putting in hard work and I make sure I can do the work I do and move forward.
Inspiration helps artists in various ways, should artists be concerned when they are inspired?
That is what sells your work. Everybody likes to hear what inspires you. Without inspiration, you cannot produce any work. There should be a reason, it could be the air you breathe and you could find a reason to explain through your work to show the importance of air. My first exhibition was inspired by air and water. Inspiration comes from God. Only God can make it clear for you. God usually use artists to express things around us by giving us inspiration.
You are having an exhibition themed ‘fest of colour 2’, what do you hope to achieve with this exhibition?
I want every artwork to be in somebody’s house. I want the world to see my works and what I do. I want to have conversations with people as a source of encouragement. By the time I finish, I hope to have a studio where everybody would be free to come; where I can train and empower children, adults and women.
Why are you interested in women?
Out of ten of my works, eight are about women. I am trying to empower women. I am trying to create more awareness and make people respect them much more than what it is today and avoid violence. Most women want the best for their families. But if you leave a woman to live with pain, anger, she cannot give you the best. They need to be happy to guide their children. They need to be guided and encouraged as well. You must treat them right and with respect to change the world. Women should be protected and not treated badly or raped. When you rape a woman, you have affected the world because she would not be happy.
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