Kainebi Osahenye humanizes art

Kainebi Osahenye is an artist who not only creates art, but adds a human factor to each piece he produces. He is one of the eight artists who will be represented by Ugoma Adegoke’s Bloom Art Gallery at the upcoming Art X Lagos Fair from November 4-6, 2016. When we walked into his Lagos studio with a gallery feel on Tuesday afternoon, we were in for an artistic treat.

As we stared on in awe from one piece to another, Kainebi explains the inspiration behind his choice of re-purposing aluminum cans and combining photographs of cut out eyes in the piece, Redemption. “I was lodged at a hotel in Auchi, Edo State when I noticed heaps of aluminum cans piled in the corner and being burnt. I loaded about 7 bags filled with cans and drove to my studio seeking to create something from them. The work has expanded over the years as I commissioned a photographer to take images of the eyes of people in his neighborhood.”

Shifting Currents and Trashing are exhibitions Kainebi has put on in the last decade to provide a window into his artistic mind. Some of the expansive pieces from these exhibitions now adorn his loft apartment studio in Lagos. We sought to uncover more about this artist who has a carved a niche as a sensation in the Nigerian art scene with his experimental works.

How many years have you been practicing as an artist?

Professionally, since 1990

Which exhibitions would you say have shaped you as an artist?

The first exhibition I held which was key in building my career was Tears in our Time. It happened in 1991 at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in Victoria Island. It addressed issues of man’s inhumanity to man and this is a theme I have carried throughout my work, through the years. Trashing and Shifting Currents have been major exhibitions too.

What trends have you seen in the art scene in Nigeria? Are people more interested in art now?

In the 90s, the Nigerian art scene wasn’t as vibrant as it is today. There were local art fairs such as the forward thinking Aresuva Fair in Abuja. Still, there was nothing major like an international art fair. So, we are looking forward to Art X Lagos being sustained for a long period. There are new perspectives as Nigerian artists are being represented in the galleries in the world.

What do you think of the upcoming Art X Lagos Fair and what pieces should we expect from you?

It is a platform for galleries to connect artists with collectors. So, it is a welcome one. For the pieces that have been chosen, I made use of color to camouflage the idea of sadness, melancholy, suffering, silence, and pain. These works have never been seen before. They reflect what is going through the minds of most Nigerians during these hard economic times.

From start to finish, how do you know a work is done?

When I think there is nothing I can add to it or remove from it, then I stop. My paintings are never done until they leave the studio. I have had critics say that some of my works look unfinished, but isn’t that how life is?

 

Whether you are painting or creating an installation, what would you say ties your work together?

Life and the human element. When I first started out, I painted lots of nudes. Now, they don’t come into the painting, but there are traces of the human elements in most of my works. For example, the head keeps recurring in my work. There is something different about it being full of energy and life.

How do you deal with criticism to your work?

I just let it go. I recall one in particular that was made public. This was from Trashing, the 2009 exhibition at The Center for Contemporary Art in Lagos, a critic said I brought in rubbish into the gallery and the only thing missing was the stench. That same year, the National Gallery of Art took the same pieces to Dakar, Senegal for a show. Not everyone would enjoy or like what you as an individual make. It is troublesome trying to meet and please everyone’s taste.

Some people query the affordability of art, how affordable are your pieces?

Once I can make enough money to buy paint and a brush, I will let a work go. For a tube of paint and brush, I can barter a painting. (Laughs)

Let’s talk real money though. What is the least and most expensive works you have sold?

I can’t really say. For example, (Points at a male and female cohesive piece, Face Me I Face You) this particular piece was priced at 7.5 million Naira during my last exhibition. For the least expensive, I have smaller pieces, drawings on paper for 50,000 Naira.

Who has influenced your work in the past and any present advice for upcoming artists?

Van Gogh in the early 90s. Kokoszka, There were abstract expressionist artists like De Kooning, Robert Rauschenberg. Recently, El Anatsui is like a mentor and one artist I respect and look up to. I enjoy Chris Ofili’s work and the courage of several artists who can create and defend what they have created as art. There is David Hammons, an African American artist. I enjoy his work and he has influenced what I do. My advice to upcoming artists is to persevere, take a little risk, do not compare yourself to others, and stand by what you create even when people criticize what you do.

When I look at the piece, Redemption

I see consumerism

I see spirituality

I see decay

I see impermanence

I see instability

I see playfulness

I see materiality

I see beauty

Ultimately, I see humanity.

 

-Kainebi Osahenye, 2014