Packer has previously said she has contemplated the devotion and fixation artists put into the process of creating. As such the show’s name is derived from a scripture in the Bible, “All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing”.
“Lagos is the quintessential entrepreneurial African city, with its international connections, a diverse culture and so much simultaneously happening. Art season 2019 was pivotal, a lot of international visitors realized that something exciting was going on. Further professionalization of the sector would mean artists connecting with arts administrators and managers, that would allow them to focus on creating art, with Nigeria becoming a globally acknowledged standard”.
What a timely exhibition is all I can say. And how important to see artists who are conscious of their surroundings and most importantly choosing to speak out about what they see and experience around them.
I have always considered Onyis Martin as a big name– more so than any other Nairobi contemporary artist I’m familiar with- perhaps because I find his work to be so unique and intriguing, so charged with time and bearing the daily Nairobi urban life stories and politics.
Ruga, in the absence of archives, might rely too much on fabulation. References to Greek mythology, Christian iconography, Xhosa cosmology, and queer aesthetics make for dense readings but crowded works. There’s a lot to unpack.