Rebecca Ejifoma
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| Banjo in the art |
The exhibition of paintings on canvas,
titled “Mind Revolution”, will exude over 20 abstract pieces. According to the
artist in an interview in Lagos recently, “Mind Revolution” is tailored towards
re-orientating the mindsets of our people towards progressiveness, and how
creative minds and ideas in Nigeria and Africa at large can be empowered. She
said: “If people start to develop the initiative of thought to invest
adequately in creative mind resources and ideas, then attention will be a bit
deviated from focusing mainly on natural resources.
“From my observation as an artist, I have
discovered that many creative talents are discouraged and frustrated in
attaining their creative potential due to the lack of adequate structures and
sufficient support. Our best export is human resources and capital. On a daily
basis, we export our best and finest minds that we sorely need for our overall
development,” she said.
The artist, who hopes to unveil diverse
creativity through her show, explained that Africa should quit being the
largest consumer of global innovations, and our ideas should be part of the
global market and contribute relevant innovations for global consumption. Many
intellectuals and creative minds have left and some are even still leaving the
continent due to a lack of appreciation of their creativity in their home
countries. In her words, “they are adding enormous value to other continents.
People from other continents observe us, create basic solutions to our
problems, and then they eventually sell those solutions back to us. We have not
taken a step backwards to notice the intellectual decadence we’re swimming in.”
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| One of the artist's pieces |
The works depict a child in a failed system
but looking beyond the failed system and reaching towards achieving his
potential. Regardless of the societal depravity, he still makes conscious
efforts to have a positive mindset, which will enable him to make his environs
relevant, and eventually to have a ripple effect. The exhibition, Mind
Revolution, is to make us see that we are more than a consuming continent,
particularly when we stop focusing mainly on natural resources and channel our
mental productivity towards creative ideas and innovations that are globally
relevant, which is very possible to achieve. “Self-awareness, self-acceptance,
self-appreciation, self-support alongside love for our own, needs to be
engraved deep in our hearts; I will instill the message in my own little way,
but more needs to be done individually and collectively for Africa as a
continent to be globally relevant by making a positive impact.”
Through her arrays, the artist maintained
that “our” minds are the creative centre of our country and continent. Hence, everyone
needs a positive, progressive mind revolution to enable him or her to have a
collective perception and reasoning to help rise above the tribal mentality, so
that we can stop being a self-enslaving entity.
In her Artist Statement, Olawunmi disclosed
that “art is my passion and is the medium that I use to create my ideas, add
value, and convey messages to the people. I am very optimistic about the
development of Africa; in my works, I infuse the mindset needed to achieve
this. I have found surrealism and realism useful in depicting my ideas. This
enables people who view my works to grasp the embedded message in each piece.”
Also, she enthused that she is influenced
mostly by things she sees, experiences, and feels; adding that most of her new
body of artworks take a mental depiction of the real world and the realities of
some aspects of life. Mostly, she talks about the mind, which is one of the
most profound mechanisms for either positive change or total destruction of the
globe. Seeing that the first thing that can be changed in the world is the
mindset of an individual and how he perceives himself and his environment, then
the next, his society and the world at large.
Therefore, to buttress her quest further to
art enthusiasts some of the works to be displayed are “Conscious Break”, “Consciously
Thriving”, “Hidden Potential”, “Mind Mechanism”, “Mind Influence”, “Comforter”,
“Choice of Freedom 1, 2 and 3”, “The Other Side”, “Transcending Thoughts”, “Illumine
1 & 2”, “Progressivism” and “Awakening” among others.
Explaining her piece, Olawunmi stated that “Hidden
Potential” speaks to people who do not explore their inner-mind
abilities. Due to some circumstances, they have built a barrier around
their potential; they have found comfort and solace in this self-built barrier,
breeding mediocrity. “They feel limited by their environs and do not bother to
explore their inner potential and abilities. People with this mindset find it
hard to see this potential waking up to reality. It gets recycled from
generation to generation.”
According to her, many centuries ago,
people learned to summon inventions from within, and from available resources
and possibilities for the future without information and technology. They dared
to form their ideas and do great things. We are benefiting massively from most
of their inventions and innovations. Some of their ideas have evolved into
better innovations by likeminded people.
It is paramount to crack the barrier open
and unleash your full string of potential. With information and technology at
our finger tips, I don’t see why we should not do better, knowing that we have
relatively better facilities than they had access to centuries ago. Permanent liberation
from self-limiting ideologies can be achieved by purifying the mind—having
positively right mindsets towards challenges with critical and problem solving
ideas. God has hidden a multitude of treasures in this world. It is left for us
to discover them and make proper use of them.
For Conscious Mind, she says a conscious
mind survives and thrives in seemingly hopeless situations. Some circumstances
are there to force the true potential out of an individual. Challenges, if
perceived as bedrock for failure, will definitely produce failure unless you
think otherwise. If your attitude towards where you live is positive, you will
take it as a responsibility to improve it. Visionaries survive in exigent
situations.
Meanwhile, Olawunmi expressed that Africa
is a reflection of the predominant mindset of the people in it. So is any other
continent. What you constantly think of is what you will definitely attract. It
starts with the individual who has the capacity to make everything around him
or her potent, which will definitely have a ripple effect. Emanate from a
consciousness to improve, enhance, and make positive contributions to hopeless
situations around you. You can achieve this by deploying all resources
available within your power and putting them to best use with the right
attitude — this will end up reviving what’s around you. Critical advancement
will be generated when there is a mental and attitudinal revolution from
within.
The graduate of Pan African University Lagos
State, the creative painter has featured in group exhibitions including “Canopy”
By Conoco Philips at the Nike Art Gallery, Lekki Lagos in 2012; 5th International
All Female Art Exhibition “Colours & Creativity” at the National Museum,
Onikan-Lagos 2012; the female section of the Send forth Exhibition for the U.S.
Ambassador to Nigeria Dr. Robin Renee Sanders at the Nike Art Gallery in 2010;
interpreted the logo for 50 @ 50: Nigerian Women, the Journey so far in Abuja
in 2010; the Ikoyi Club 1938, Golf Section “Art of Golf” by A.A.R.C. in 2009
and at the 2nd Annual Art Exhibition “Fyne ArtDiction”, Southern Sun Hotel
Ikoyi, Lagos 2009 among several others. She also clinched the 2nd prize Award at
The Experience Nigeria 2008 Art competition organized by A.A.R.C. Titled
"Nigerians at work.
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