CONSPIRACY OF THOUGHTS
Austin Uzor in Conversation with Iheanyi Onwuegbucha*
Austin Uzor from Atta, Imo State, South East Nigeria, was born in 1991. He graduated from art school in 2013 and has since engaged in full time studio practice. By 2015, he had developed a great body of works mostly drawings which he shared on Facebook and received positive response for artists and admirers. Encouraged by the positive reception of his works, and support from friends and colleagues, he began to work towards a solo exhibition. Months later, he developed the current body of ink drawings. During a visit to the artist’s studio, he shared some of his experiences and provided some insights into his current body of work. An excerpt from the conversation is presented below.
Iheanyi Onwuegbucha: This is your first solo show since graduation in 2013. How has your work developed since then?
Austin Uzor: Since graduation, I’ve seen my work go through so many phases and of all phases I’ve witnessed the breakaway from the norm and a discovery of who I’ve always wanted to be in terms of my ideas, expressive abilities, mediums and techniques
I O: Facebook and Instagram have become popular among artists to share their works for publicity and criticism. How has the social media, affected your practice, in terms of reception and criticism?
AU: Social media presented me to the world from the comfort of my studio and as such i made a lot of valuable connections that has in no doubt given substantial aid to the grooming of my career as an artist. The frequent applauds by masters accompanied with constructive criticisms on all social media platforms i operated made me realize i was moving in the right direction and would need to break more grounds putting in more as what started as a routine fun upload of my daily sketches eventually landed me in serious business.
I O: What memorable responses have you had to your work?
A U: I have had so many of memorable responses from contemporary artists all over the world, first I will never forget the first time Ibe Ananaba saw my work because that totally changed my life and the most fascinating response would be by Professor Dele Jegede, this was when i did a pencil sketch of him and posted it on facebook, people kept sharing until he got to see it. His response on Facebook came in this form; “ mesmerizing values in gray, two thumbs up for you Austin” he went further in the same thread to state how impressed he was by stating that “Uzor’s expressive tenor seems to confirm the aphorism that by their work we shall know them”. That was big for me and i had butterflies in my stomach.
I O: Who’s your favorite living artist?
A U: That’s a big one. I obviously have tons of artist i look up to both in Nigeria and abroad, so it would be unfair to ask me a question which would make me narrow my likeness for creativity down to one particular person.
I O: But are there artists whose personality and practice have influenced you?
A U: Of course, Dr Chijioke Onuora who made me believe exceptional draftsmen were “Demigods”; Dr George Odoh who followed my process through art school and was actively involved in my evolution process; Ibe Ananaba who shook the world of art by breaking stereotypes and repositioning the art of drawing and Olusegun Adejumo who gives soul to the art of drawing and painting not leaving out Edosa Oguigo.
I O: By Demigods, do you mean that they wield more powers of expression than artists of other genres?
A U: Obviously, drawing is the basic medium and tool for every artist irrespective of your line of specialty. It is the basis for design and like we all know design rules the world. So if one controls drawing then he controls the world. And an artist who cannot put down his ideas in drawing is just a performer.
I O: But you trained as a painter at the University of Nigeria, and you have exhibited your paintings a couple of times, why have you chosen drawing as the only medium to express yourself this time? Did your training in Nsukka and the drawing tradition of the school have any influence on your choice?
A U: I chose drawing because currently it has proven to be my best weapon of communication, this medium brought me into prominence on most social media platforms and with it i have been able to reach out to the world, so i choose to ride high with drawing and taking my plight to the world stage symbolically with my first show. Of course Nsukka Art School is known for its rich heritage in the use of rhythmic and sensitive lines movement and abstraction of forms in the representation and interpretation of ideas. The school’s traditional drawing style and attitude highly influenced my association with drawing as a medium of expression. I initially wanted to exhibit some paintings alongside these drawings but after a long time deliberating i decided to go for everything in black and white. This colour is symbolic to me because it addresses everything we are going through right now whether right or wrong, good or bad, black or white. Painting in all its flamboyancy would have stood out in this context and might have driven home other points but for me certainly not this particular one. Above all I wanted it to push myself to the limit by breaking new grounds as i originally got these ideas pictured in black and white, so trying to alter what already exists in my head by adding colour might kill the story.
I O: The Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) has been reintroduced in Fine and Applied in Nigerian Universities, as has also given art students opportunities to gain professional studio experience as well as provide opportunities to learn informally from older professionals who run artist studios. What was your experience with the scheme and what other informal art training have you received?
AU: I underwent my six months SIWES program under Dr George Odoh at masterstrokes studio owned and managed by him in Nsukka. He took me back to the basics with a daily program that had lots of figure drawings, quick sketches and mental upgrade and composition studies, self-discovery lessons was also not left out as i was free to express myself by way of medium and technique. Prior to this program I also spent two months at Universal Studios of art, Lagos.
IO: What was the Lagos experience like and did it have any contribution in the development of your career?
AU: The Lagos experience was one i longed for. Prior to 2012 i had never been to Lagos, though i heard a lot about the city. I needed a first-hand experience, so i went on a two month’s holiday in Lagos to stay with my uncle Mr Frank Uduh who is a well known contemporary sculptor, and coincidentally he had his studio at arguably the largest community of artist in lagos which is Universal Studios of Art. This studio housed the best painters, sculptors, wood carvers and draftsmen and provided I.T programs for younger student artists. I visited the studio every day and had a different perception of art from the one i had known all my life and within the four walls of a school. The representational art of Lagos as a whole made me return back to my drawing board.
IO: What do you think of the experiences as an art student in the formal university setting and the informal Universal Studios and IT with Odoh?
AU: They are two different experiences but obviously can’t do without each other in the actualization of the goal of becoming a better Artist. The university education laid a foundation which aided self-discovery and my time at universal studios and with Odoh created the direct guidance in achieving my goals and creating a path for myself.
IO: What’s the last exhibition that you saw that left impacts on you?
AU: I saw “Luminus” a joint exhibition of Stanley Dudu’s pastel/charcoal works and Raji Mohamed’s oil paintings at Alexis galleries. That was a couple of months back but it served as an encouragement to me because I’ve been following both artist and their stories for a while now and could relate perfectly to how far they have come and the better opportunities in front of them. I was made to understand that it’s a gradual process consisting of hard work, perseverance and faith.
IO: What has been a seminal experience for you?
AU: The seminal experience so far has been my ability to use objects around me for subjects and also the development of suitable ideas that not only create beauty but addresses a whole lot of our human activities and possibly beyond.
IO: You have constantly used human figure/female figure as metaphor in your works, what does the female figure mean to you? And what meaning(s) does it have in the context of your works?
AU: I enjoy figures, i do a lot of figure study and the endless possibilities being radiated by God’s work of art in the creation of we humans can never be over emphasized. It is very intriguing to be able to tell stories with the interpretation of human forms and for the female figure which has in it all the emotions and expressive abilities in creativity one can ever look for, that is exactly why i choose to communicate through her gift of nature. In the context of my works i express ideas and emotions using the female figure as a metaphoric tool as her position and gender has nothing to do with most of the stories told. Many of the drawings feature a female portrait figure though. I enjoy female portrait because she evokes tender emotions and from every single glance one could tell a story. She serves as my creative subject
IO: Have you had a real-life situation that inspired you?
AU: Yes i have, everything around me inspires me and as such i pay attention to my immediate environment as every single object has a story most of them untold. For instance most of the birds used in my drawings are my studio companions, i watch them display and express themselves in their own little world. Most of the ideas put together by me where inspired by real life events, i only rearranged the ideas to suit the composition i had in my head.
IO: How is your personality reflected in your work?
AU: You could perceive my personality in every aspect of these works, most times I am excited by my ideas, other times I am reluctant and when things don’t go as planned I get to a low point which results to depression. I am always lost on thoughts as I see myself floating away from reality most times and establishing solace in a world that only exists in my head. Every piece of me can be broken down into the technique used, ideas generated and expressions adopted.
IO: In your current body of work, you have focused on the study of the human facial expressions, how does it relate to the theme of mental and physical suffering as noted in the theme for the exhibition?
AU: One could analyse and interpret gestures and expressions even when images are frozen using simple facial expressions and gesticulations, and that is the beauty of the human figure which has proven over time to be a glorified tool in the process of art making. I obviously tried to bring out the reality in our current society using real time expressions to pass messages across and one that the audience could relate to and perceive what the message might be wrapped around at first glance and equally be able to relate to the general theme of mental and physical suffering.
IO: In your Artist Statement, you noted that the body of works tries to categorize and analyze mental slavery as a vice. And your titles reflect interesting issues like “Internal Bleeding”, Feeble Resistance” and “Shadows of Pain”, how have you used visual imageries to tackle these issues?
AU: We live in a society where it is ok being someone else but not yourself, this obviously makes life miserable for victims of such circumstances as they can’t possibly eject themselves from the crowd which serves as their only source of oxygen. This is a survival antic but it kills faster than anything because it is toxic. Most of the images portrayed in this project appear sad and disturbed and that was made intentional by me because forces led by society make us trade our values, joy and happiness for eternal sadness and pain coated with a glamourous outlook. The truth is you judge your happiness from what you directly feel and not what others suggest. we live in a society where most of us are not happy about who we have become but we just have to hang in there to stay alive and relevant, but the few who decide to be happy are cut away from society and left to suffocate.
IO: Other titles like “Conversations with Self”, “Pool of Thoughts II” and “Sixth Sense”, suggest personal introspections. Are they reflections of your personal search for identity?
AU: Yes some works are pure reflections of my personal search for identity. All my life I have always questioned what is right or wrong and the basis for conclusion in societal judgment, I’ve always questioned the role of truth, love, pain, sacrifice, self belief and total hope in the pursuit of happiness. I have always questioned why humans act the way they do and why the entire world keeps moving in one direction. I question my involvement in humanity and what my legacies might be. These questions, millions of them race through my mind every single day and as such and as such serve as oxygen to my soul as i keep the search for myself on in a world of mystery.
IO: Does your work reflect any of your personal experiences? Can you share any of those experiences?
AU: Yes my work has some of my personal experiences adapted in them, the first was my experience living in a shadow of myself, funny though but at a point in my life I wanted to be a medical doctor and that was duly influenced by people I had around me at that time, this was in the days of my secondary school and because of the societal level of success perceived to be synonymous with the practice of medical doctors I ditched my passion for art calling it a mere hubby rather than a profession. I carried this fake dream up and ended up as a complete disaster, I was always in pain and not interested in the process because my results were very bad and not encouraging yet all I wanted was to become a doctor and become rich. Mind you, passion had nothing to do with it. Anyway I eventually discovered myself and at the 11th hour and followed my heart and since then I have found joy and happiness. My second experience was that of “Hunger”.
IO: Your themes address both local and global issues of human suffering, war and struggles for existence, how do you reconcile these issues to the immediate Nigerian Society?
AU: First, Nigeria is part of the world and anything wrong with the world would indirectly be felt by every country in the world including Nigeria vice versa, i am only using my personal experiences directly from my immediate environment to address global issues. For instance the issue of war, religious crisis and terrorism which we all have a first-hand experience of here in Nigeria, so does other part of the world experience same by the ripple effect with these experiences giving rise to global suffering. We live in a society where our leaders who swore to protect us now neglect us while selling our values in exchange for their own gains, We live in a society where war is the only option not minding its disadvantage to humanity as we use humans to kill humans all because we have the power to. We live in a world where we take lives so that we may live lavishly and exotically, and so the rich become more powerful while hunger is left to feasts on the poor.
I O: Talking about global conflicts, you have a piece titled “Conspiracy Theory (Warheads)”. What conspiracy do you refer to?
A U: This is just my own interpretation of the injustice dished out by the west to the so called “third world countries” i think the conspiracy here is that we are pretty much still under the influence of the western world. Though the colonial rule might have officially ended i think their influence is pretty much solid and as such they have an invisible control over us.
I O: The title reminds me of arguments that global conflicts are designed and sustained by few individuals who profit from them. What do you think?
A U: I think it’s simple, you are a manufacturer of weapons, how do you sell these war materials when there is no war? How do you make sustainable profit?. It’s simple, Start a war so that you could sell your weapons and make profit. Again you are into petroleum marketing and distribution but you have serious competitors who could take you out of business if you don’t take drastic measures, how do you keep your business alive? Instigate conflict in these areas where your competitors operate from then when it turns into a full blown war production becomes grounded and everything is down to zero, what next? All roads lead to your product! And you are rich. It’s as simple as that.
I O: What do you think are some of the most inspiring things happening in Nigeria currently as it relates to the theme of your current work?
A U: The theme which is “VISITORS” goes into details of identifying our status in our land. This status thus proves with so many events both past and present that we have forgotten our values and have let destruction take over our lands which makes us now act like visitors in a land our fathers once fought for. The leadership of this country, the structure and the mental ideologies making us chase shadows other than being our true selves. As a people we have totally forgotten our identities and cultural heritage such that we seek to become shadows of ourselves. The economic situation, religious and ethnic segregation political and social decay and environmental problems caused by our carelessness. These are all what might have inspired most of my drawings.
Actually most of the issues are directly related to Nigeria, for instance the issue of the militancy in the Niger delta regions and its crippling effect on the affected communities and the economy of the country as a whole, i documented this particular episode with the piece “Whispers of Destruction”. Here both the local people and the federal government are in a feud because of the resources accessible in those lands. I think this tussle only worsens the hardship faced by the vulnerable natives who feel the heat directly as they have to deal with every degree of pollution which cripples their only source of livelihood.
I went further to note the crises faced between Fulani herdsmen and local farmers in their communities and its gradual escalation into a potential ethnic crisis while emphasizing the role of the media in all this mess. This was documented in the work “Ashes and Rain”
With series of troubling events ranging from religious crisis, political crisis, ethnic and economic crisis the only word unifying most of the troubled individuals on the street is “war”. Our thoughts have been shaped by our bitter experiences and as such we now think alike in negative energy. This idea of mine was interpreted in the piece “Conspiracy of Thoughts” where our present generation now thinks that war is the only solution which I think is wrong. “Homemade War” at least elaborates how we are currently contemplating to burn down our nation by going to war because of our ethnic, religious and political differences. So a lot of issues were raised about the current realities in Nigeria today.
I O: What role do you think the artist have in society?
A U: Using our indigenous setting as an instance I’ll liken the role of the artist in our society to that of the chief priest who serves as the bridge between the ancestors and the natives. The artist not only creates beauty but documents activities in his immediate environment using his mediums and platforms to identify and analyse issues while creating possible solutions in the process. I will call the artist a “Chief Priest”.
I O: Art as opined by some do not necessarily provide solutions to society’s problems but instead raises more questions that in the process of interpretation and attempt to answer, solutions may arise. Your work has raised several issues like that of modern day slavery with titles like “the job” and “food is ready”. Don’t you think these issues result from the present order of our societies, where capitalism is the norm?
A U: Yes I think these issues are built around the present order in our societies. In these cases the rich few feed on our vulnerability all in the name of aiding us, they manipulate and control our freedom just because we are helpless, and so we are always left to find out we are simply pawns on these chess boards. I tried expressing my disappointment with the structure of the regular jobs using my piece titled “the job”, here corporate workers and those who have white collar jobs are forced to do impossible and unthinkable things just to get paid and on the long run bring in a lot of profit into the business. Here they are made to exchange their value for riches. Most female marketers in order to meet their required targets and as well keep their jobs are made to do unimaginable things. This system is wrong and like i said earlier once you are not happy with your job then you are in chains. This idea was also infused into the execution of the piece “Food is Ready”. Here the exploration and exploitation of our vulnerability as helpless and hopeless citizens shows that we are at the mercy of our leaders. Also capitalism has placed an entire nation in the hands of a few and that has made the conspiracy thicker as decisions are made to favour only a few at the detriment of the majority who are helpless. This is the reason why the helpless poor would take drastic decisions so as to survive in a world that has proven to be harsh and as such cares only for himself and not humanity, one can see how I tried to raise the issue of capitalism in the piece “Mud Fences” I kept asking questions how possible it was for selected individuals to own oil wells in Nigeria when they have no contribution whatsoever to the development of the communities that produces these product. It’s an obvious proof that the resources of the nation are directly controlled by a few in their bid for personal gains and riches while the ignorant masses die of thirst. “Isle of Man” bests describes this cycle of life where we all born to chase papers using everything we have and by so doing neglecting the entire human existence, we have proven that money is more important than life. I believe this mentality gave *birth to crime.
I O: How do you expect your works to be received?
A U: I expect to create a new audience because I actually explored new ideas, new techniques and unlikely mediums in creating this body of work. And to that effect, I will expect a lot of reviews and criticism which would adequately help in making this show a successful one.
I O: After this exhibition, what project(s) do you plan to work on?
A U: The response i get from this show would go a long way in building my career as an artist. Although I’ll be exploring more ideas in oil paintings in the nearest future, I’ll equally take drawing to another level with experimental mediums, techniques and out of these world ideas in a bid to create sustainable art with purpose.
*Iheanyi Onwuegbucha, an art historian and curator of contemporary art, is currently the Curator and Director of Documentation at Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Abuja.
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