One year after the art war against soot, creative artists being rallied under Moriri Art Gallery, a Niger Delta platform, have resolved to give same level of attention to governance issues.
For this reason, ‘Art and Governance’ is the theme for all art exhibitions at the fast-rising Moriri Art Gallery in Port Harcourt.
The director, Kayode Adeoti, who disclosed the focus at an art press conference held at Novotel Hotel in Port Harcourt Thursday, March 23, 2023, said ‘Moriri’ means appreciation.
He said Moriri is a rallying call of attention back to art in the Niger Delta after art geniuses had allegedly fled the zone. The gallery mounts exhibitions on a chosen theme each year beginning few years back.
The theme for 2022 was on soot which rallied efforts by artists on the war against soot menace in Port Harcourt and other areas.
This time, Adeoti said, the focus is on governance. He said artists would dig into their minds and create works that would show the connection between art and governance, but said there would be no censorship or uniformity because artists would be free to create what their minds came up with on governance.
He admitted that most minds may wander to the ills in Nigeria’s governance space such as failed promises and electoral violence but said artists were free reflect these things to express their minds and perceptions.
In doing this, the Director admitted that the core of ‘Moriri’ is the environment but argued that political environment of a people is as relevant as their culture, their economy, and their ecology.
The conference featured the unveiling of the theme of the 2023 exhibition series, the formal unveiling of the Moriri Chronicles Volume One (which was put together by professors on the works of creative artists with explanations and interpretations), and presentation of letters to credible artists to participate in the 2022 series.
Adeoti used the opportunity to reveal that Moriri Art Gallery is out to empower artists by exhibiting their works in a known location for sale.
He remarked that oil, an international product, attracts expatriates who in turn like and appreciate art pieces. He said it was unfair that Port Harcourt as an oil city did not transform to an art headquarter in Nigeria; hence, the Moriri drive for art economy and art revival.
On his passion and involvement, Adeoti said he was not an artist but that everyone consumes the work of art; from car designs, dresses, to adverts that people get attracted to.
A professor of art from the University of Port Harcourt, Frank Ugiomoh, said there is a surge in art awareness. He said whereas students were few in classes some 36 years ago, the demand by candidates to study art is now huge.
He showed how art is now a money spinner and urged those in it to explore the avenues. He admitted that artists were usually quiet even while raking in foreign currencies.
A lecturer in the Rivers Stat University, Bari Gomba, who is one of the stakeholders, said Moriri is a huge project aimed at reviving art interest in the Niger Delta.
He said failed promises and electoral violence could trigger art creations over the years as environmental crisis had done. He also agreed that political cartoons may have captured a big part of Nigeria’s governance experience over the years.
He expected these variables in experience and perception to be captured for the Moriri drive in 2023.
Artists at the conference commended the stakeholders and organisers for rallying artists back to action in the oil region and asked for more meetings to allow ideas meet and explode.
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