By Udemma Chukwuma
There is an arresting
resemblance between Tega Akpokona’s work and that of Abiodun Olaku. At
first glance one is forced to assume that Akpokona is copying Olaku’s work, who many
have described as master of night scene. “So far nobody has
told me I'm copying Olaku. Even Olaku himself said my painting is different and I've
found a niche for myself,” he says.
However,
Akpokona admits
that he was influenced by Olaku. “Everyone
is influenced by some in one way or the other when it comes to art and
creativity. "I was
under direct mentorship from him. The influence is inevitable. Olaku mentored me, I was an intern at his studio and
receive direct tutelage concerning professional practise of art.”
For him, “Olaku’s influence is only normal. Same way
he has the Yusuff Grillo’s and Kolade Oshinowo’s influence. Most people who
follow my work can spot my work amidst a crowd any day.” He says that Olaku described his style as “unique”.
Is Akpokona
going to continue to paint this way or will he shift later? “I don't
think I can determine now the way I will paint later. My
present and past visual experiences influence my art. What I
would paint on the future, I can't say now…”
His exploration of
light and colour catches the eye and holds your attention to view his work, his
painting is imbued with traditional techniques – richly layered oil paintings
with fascinating pose of each subject which finds its way through the overlays
of colours and light impressions. His paintings present juxtapositions of
reality and impressionism.
Over time, the artiste has gradually evolved into an
exploration of pure realism. “Surprisingly
as young artists and art students, we hear a lot of people say realism or
representational art is no more in trend. It turns out it's not true after all.
In any case the aim should to strive to create timeless art
to the best of your ability at every given time.
"I paint figuratively because human emotion has always been a
key factor for me to tell a good story and stimulate catharsis.”
What inspires his work?
“Life is the term broad enough to
fully describe what inspires my work. This painting titled Liminance (sold at the art house affordable auction 2016) is about a
place called Oba Market in Benin city, where I
grew up. For a
period of time I was home alone with my father, so I went there a lot to buy food
items.
Who are his audience? “My
art seems to allure some intelligently discerning art connoisseurs. I hope it continues that way.”
No comments:
Post a Comment