Josiah C. Josiah: Artist at home with nature and passion for his craft

For one week, the sleeping Itele community had many visitors, whose missions were to explore art in a different form and in a tranquil environment.
They were moved by their passion for art, and most importantly, the creative ingenuity of Josiah C. Josiah, a Lagos-based contemporary visual artist, who, through his initiative, served art in a different way to satiate their passion.

It was an exciting open studio invitation, and the visitors made the most of their visit for the one-week show, as Josiah dished specially curated art, one plate after another, during the open studio titled “The Miracle Leaf” and curated by Ugo Ahiakwo.

The artist chose the Itele community for its tranquillity, against his studio in the bustling Lagos metropolis, while a plant growing in his backyard, known locally as the miracle leaf, formed the core of his community engagement and creation of a body of work, which he presented at the studio visit.

While miracle leaf drew attention for its remarkable ability to regenerate, the greeny surroundings of the studio spoke volumes on the title of the exhibition; the lush plant life nearby inspired flower motifs in the paintings on display, amid the child-like quality of the works.

The host artist explained the concept of the title, saying it is all about transformation, for him as an artist, the impact on his works and showing a little love to the environment.

“Miracle Leaf is a leaf that represents resilience, passion for life and passion to heal,” he explained

“The leaf reflects on the survival of an individual. No matter the environment you find yourself in, it emphasises adaptation to your environment without unnecessary complaints”.

Offering more details, he noted that medically, ‘Miracle Leaf’ has many health potential, as he explored the leaf to produce herbal tea, which is beneficial to his health.

“Psychologically, ‘Miracle Leaf’ is about the transformation of an artist, its impact on the works I produce and studying of different plants and grasses- the green, flowers and their atmospheric influence on our environment and health”.

According to Josiah, it is also about the individual ecosystem. “As individuals, we should understand leaves in our environment and explore them for our health benefits”.

Through the work, he reflected how art interacts with nature.

“Art digs and interrogates nature and its potential. It admires the language of the earth”.

“As an artist, I am in tune with the principles of the earth and nature such as trees and plants. This gives me the feelings to stick more to nature, which I am gladly doing now”.

But he left the interpretation and appreciation of his works to individuals’ views, while insisting that his works are open field for individuals to see and understand their life-journey and also vessels to help in directing people towards what they are looking for.

“Most often, I get remarks from my patrons about how different my works are. Sometimes, some people are not comfortable with my works mainly because of the unconventional ideas I employ in my production. I have a lot of audience who criticise my works”.

But while some criticize his works, probably because of what they don’t understand like in the ‘Miracle Leaf’, some others, according to him, appreciate his efforts. “I feel that some of my lecturers and mentors will be proud of my works,” he noted.

While many appreciate his boldness to do unconventional art, he attributed his boldness to his passion for art.

“For me, arts is a way of life,” he enthused. “It is my power to express myself in any perspective.

“Arts challenges my character and views of the world. It gives me the edge to investigate about ideas or the environment I find myself.”

Of course, his training plays a major part.

At Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State, where trained and majored in painting, Josiah was drilled with the application of colours and he uses colours to describe different meanings to emotions, time and also how to be a working artist; anywhere and in any mode.

The influence of his education on his work is obvious, especially in the way he works with time. “My lecturers at Auchi Polytechnic were thorough and intentional in handling us as students. They showed practicality and ability in molding me artistically,” he confessed.

“I can work on canvas without limiting the process. I was inculcated with the discipline of arts, to study, interrogate and interact. I explore arts through colours and plants. I use arts ideas to study plants to understand how they interact with our ecosystem”.

Speaking on his creative techniques, he explained that materiality comes from the mind. “It is not just a physical object. It starts from thoughts, ideas or an interpretation”.

But nost times, he uses pigment and charcoal when he draws. “At another time, I could infuse fabrics and threads, depending on the kind of idea I want to portray at the moment and what I want to create”.

But while he has pushed boundaries in the art scene for the eight years he has been in the business, he recalls with nostalgia his days of little beginning, amid challenges.

“I remember when I told my parents that I wanted to study Fine Art. Their reaction was not encouraging. I had a meeting with my father and he asked me how profitable and lucrative art was for my sustainability in life,” he noted.

The above challenge was because his parents wanted him to be a priest, and as a boy, he also wanted to be a priest.

“But I changed my mind along the line and opted to become an artist.

“At first, my parents objected and eventually agreed with me when I gained admission”.

But while he is running a thriving career as an artist, Josiah noted that if he wasn’t an artist today, he would have been doing a lot of things.

“I had interest in priesthood, a military personnel, transporter, actor and photography.

“Yes, I do photography because you know that photography is arts too. Right now, I am a farmer too,” he declared.

Meanwhile, the studio visit is not his first solo outing. “I have done two exhibitions in my studio in partnership with Signature Art Gallery and Rele Gallery,” he said.