Foreward
This inaugural exhibition
of works by a handful of artists of the Nigerian Diaspora in the U.S.
underlines the relevance of an essay that I contributed to the book, A Companion to Modern African Art,
edited by my colleagues, Gitti Salami and Monica Blackmun Visona. (Wiley
Blackwell, 2013). Below is an excerpt, which addresses a central issue to the
Chicago exhibit on Contemporary Nigerian Art:
A recurrent theme in
the theorization of art pertains to normadism, exile, and migrations, and the
influx of new ideas and practices that are attendant upon diverse and multiple
relocations. Migration occurs in reaction to social, emotional, religious,
political, economic, or cultural triggers in affected demographic. Migrations
facilitate the cross-fertilization of ideas even as they also harbor the
potential to provoke dormant resistance among resident populations, or
exacerbate quiescent notions of entitlements and privileges. Enwezor speaks of
the essence of migrations in the reconfiguration of ethnicity, origin, and
authenticity, and in the formation of new affiliations and identities. It
matters little whether migrations occur within or between geo-political spaces;
at issue is the impact that migrant populations exert on their new locale
through the interchange of ideas and creative expressions that they expedite.
In postbellum
America, for example, the search for new economic pastures, coupled with the
desire to resist the yoke of racial subjugation resulted in massive migration
of blacks from the former Confederacy to other parts of the country.[1] Whether forced, as in the reprehensible
example of the Dark Passage during which millions of Africans were shipped into
strange territories without any return visas, or voluntary, as exemplified by
recent trends during which artists, driven by the allure of new creative
challenges or hounded by a corrosive political and socio-economic
disequilibrium in their respective homelands opted for new pastures, migrations
have become a powerful practical and ideational tool. With specific reference
to the visual arts, immigration facilitates exposure to new locations and
concepts and remains a determinant in the empowerment of artists. The mobility
of ideas, which often comes with immigration, has proven to be an important
factor in the development of new visual vocabularies. The very act
of immigration and dislocation is critical to the evolution of a distinctive
visual subjectivity, as has been demonstrated in the work of a number of
artists, African and African Americans artists in the Diaspora alike.
Although there is an
abundance of instances documenting the presence of African artists who migrated
from their respective homes to foreign countries within and outside of Africa,
it is perhaps only in the last two decades or so that such artists have become
globally visible. A cursory look at some of the names that can be taken as
representative of this group of artists: Magdalene Odundo, Sokari Douglas Camp,
Ghada Amer, Obiora Udechukwu, Odili Donald Odita, Wosene Kosrof, Victor Ekpuk,
Lalla Essaydi, Ouattara Watts, and Wangechi Mutu reveals that these artists
constitute a substratum of the black Diaspora species: they were born in Africa
(jegede 2009). The global visibility of this group of African artists in the
Diaspora should not be misconstrued to imply the absence of any antecedents.
Before this group came to limelight, there had existed a respectable echelon of modern African artists who established studios and
practiced in Western metropolises: Ben Enwonwu, Ibrahim El Salahi,
Gebre Kristos Desta, Uzo Egonu, Dumile Feni, and Skunder Boghossian.
The significance of
this project should be left to history to determine. It should be noted,
however, that without the insight and perseverance offered by the duo of
Dayo Laoye and Tunde Afolayan Famous, history will have nothing to narrate. I am
delighted to see that this exhibit has succeeded in showcasing the work of an
astute artist, a practiced and respected dramatist, and a gracious colleague,
Uwa Hunwick. It is my hope that this exhibit will become annualized and provide
yet another platform for artists in the African Diaspora to congregate,
express, and share professional insights.
dele jegede, Ph.D
Professor of Art History
Professor of Art History
Miami University
Oxford, OH
July 2014
*[1] Lisa M. Frehill-Rowe’s essay, “Postbellum Race Relations and Rural Land Tenure: Migration of Blacks and Whites to Kansas and Nebraska, 1870-1890,” (Social Forces, September 1993, 72(1): 77-92), provides an analysis of black migration to Kansas and Nebraska in relation to those of whites during this same period.
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