MY THOUGHTS FROM NIKE’S ART GALLERY

Art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something. Well, if it’s looks nice, it’s an advantage 🙂

Rainbow Rowell

Against popular opinions, I agree with Rainbow Rowell on this statement; Art is expressed in feelings than looks. Of course everyone wants an art piece to look very beautiful and jaw dropping, but the authenticity is in feeling what the Artist felt while working on that piece – only then will it truly make sense to you.

I recently visited Nike’s Art Gallery and I must say, I didn’t want to leave. It was like I was inside a box of emotions; passion, grief, happiness, originality, culture, religion, tribalism, joy, ecstasy, it was like seeing with the very eyes of the Artist. I had mixed feelings but it was beautiful. Of course, I couldn’t connect with every single piece of art, but the ones I could connect with made so much meaning. I got some really amazing pictures from the gallery which I’d be sharing in this post and I do hope you’d see these pieces with the Artist’s eye.

This horse was made from metals – door handles, damaged vehicle parts, bowls, iron bars, steels, so much more. What came to mind when I saw this was the First Law Of Thermodynamics: “energy can be changed from one form to another…”.

It is logical to dispose whatever thing is damaged or no longer serving its purpose, but do we ever consider recycling? “it’s probably a waste of time and energy”. I bet the artists that worked on this masterpiece will most certainly disagree. Who ever thought recycled metals could turn out this good looking?

Phew! I particularly love this one, majorly because I’m African and the history of African weaving hairstyle is beautiful; in the midst of the slave trade, they found alternative routes to escape which was encoded in their hairs, ways to communication without words, interactive codes, and so much more, it’s really amazing.

The Artist didn’t just think about hairstyles in this drawing but the heritage, the culture. Take a moment, look closely at the bodies of these women, the jewelries, the signs, the leaf drawings, to the background of this piece; the thatched houses, the trees, very simplistic but encompasses the African heritage.

I’m not sure completely what the Artist was thinking when this was made but it spoke one thing; DIVERSITY. It’s just a piece you might say, but these are men of different heights, class, fashion sense(although they all look same, check closely) and stature.

No two humans are the same, copy that?!

Nobody can think the way you do, act the way you will if you were in their place, assimilate just like you, or even communicate the way you do regardless of ethnicity, nationality, tribalism, religion, think about anything, personality will always be unique. However, the difference in taste, opinion, perception, fashion, style, class, and character is what makes us beautiful.

I was skeptical about posting this one because it represents our beloved country, Nigeria. Well, the Artist(s) must have been skeptical as well knowing that thousands of people will see this and have things to say about it.

As sad as it is, this is the county we live in. Certain people, like ants, taking(in this case stealing) what is sufficient enough for them and generations after them. Greed, selfishness, wickedness, and so many other terrible self-centered reasons has fueled their acts but we hope and trust God for a better tomorrow. I believe in Nigeria!

There were tons of art pieces at the gallery too but I really hope you got a taste of the gallery visit as you read this article.

I definitely recommend that you visit Nike’s Art Gallery whenever you are in Lagos, Nigeria. You’d probably have more things to talk about than I did. Also, it’s completely free to visit!! So why not?

Love,

Praizey