The African countries and economies were being handed over to the Africans to handle and run by their colonial masters starting with countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and the Congo. Africans have always been adventurous people to do so many things but the art of governance and legislation built on trust remained elusive. The authenticity of African art and identity issues started becoming part of national and international discuss, an institution that was hitherto built on colonial curriculum. While successive regimes such as Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire was implementing his authenticity act on art, culture, music and fashion, down in Nigeria, the celebrated ‘Zaria Rebels’ were jettisoning the colonial styles for their indigenous forms evolution that later gave birth to the modern day philosophy African art enjoys today. The Kwame Nkrumah regime was promoting the African tradition and culture through the “One Africa, One Continent” objective, yet, beneath this hara-kiri, a talent, great enough for Nigeria and Africa was born with just eleven days to Christmas. Tony Ikhide Evbodaghe was born in Lagos on the 14th of December, 1966 and a red carpet was laid. Two days after Tony’s birth, the British rock group, ‘The Beatles’, released Everywhere, it’s Christmas in the United Kingdom, also legendary guitarist, Jimi Hendrix released his first single Hey Joe in the UK. Tony grew to become a metal royal, well costumed in African construction.
One of Tony Evbodaghe’s original at Metals, Faces and Cocks exhibition in Lagos
Roots and Influences
There are certain factors that definitely always shape the life of a man as he develops. It becomes a sort of worry when man is being influence by negative forces that normally lead to destruction. The formative years are very important for the positive growth. Sometimes, we are shaped and molded by what we see. Humans get their influences by events around them in certain institutions, friends or peers, family, events and historical moments, culture and traditions, they all have a bit of touch in a man’s development. We are indeed born to know the good from the bad, but, at times, man pretends not to know these virtues for simple living and gets knock down most times. The virtues are not our distant relatives; in fact, they are the closest of our relatives.
“Back in my time, growing into adulthood was fun despite, the nascent evolution of African countries into nationhood. I have always been an artistic person, scribbling and drawing from my infant days just like every other infant that runs around creating and destroying naively. I discovered that I have this innate talent for it, though I never studied in elementary or secondary school, but the gift is just a natural thing for me. I am from Edo state part of Nigeria. The state and environment is a very creative zone where talents flourish in abundance. The people are known for restlessness and A-can do attitude. Though, education became a plus, but I was naturally creative on the road.
My propelling forces are my parents. Not that they are the richest, but, rather, they lent their support to me. The affection they showed me really added the necessary value for my well-being. We were allowed to move around as children, teenagers and adolescent. This kind of sojourning to see life and not walking astray greatly influenced my art today. Some of the ideas I work on presently in my interesting career, are from my environment and subconscious. Choosing my movement stepped up from passion for the arts and what did I get? The discovery!
Art found me, I didn’t find art. I was a science student in my secondary school, maybe due to lack of proper counselling, I ought to have been a purely art student. Although, I later enrolled for Fine Arts in my high school final exams, and scored the highest points then (A1). I will conclude that at the time, I was a self-taught artist. I always recall, my first art material then, was a drawing book and a 2B pencil. I never knew that a little touch on your passion can take you to the highest level. The first money I made from art, when I was not even a professional at the time was a handsome reward of Two Thousand and Five Hundred Naira Only(N2500) for a piece of cement casting. I was still a student of Fine Art at the prestigious Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State and in my first year to be precise. There again, I also had a new turn around by developing a rapid interest in modelling and casting, such an amazing technique! I started casting and making many moulds. What an eye-opener!
I became the toast of many patrons and it was so rewarding, as I have found a money making machine, before I later left for the compulsory National Youth Service Scheme in Cross River. What an enriching turn-around for me.”
Guests at Metals, Faces and Cocks exhibition in Lagos
Soul Searching
Practice makes perfect, so they say. Hardwork becomes imperative for a goal getter and the audacity of hope. The fear of hunger makes man to strive and conquer failure. Falling and getting up so many times is part of the prospectus of an ambitious man. Success only knocks on your door by your attitude to your vocation. And most importantly, education is the key!
“Continuous practice over the years, has given me an edge over so many obstacles that are attached to this kind of business. I mean self control and discipline are so important in professionalism and putting extra touch on every work with complete detail has earned me enormous respect all over. Today, I have met art lovers, patrons and enthusiasts, who merely, seeing my forms and works, easily, recognise and know where I studied. Art forms from my alma-mater are recognised for their bold, strong and defined strokes, which greatly influenced sculptural pieces such as mine. During my one year compulsory scheme in Calabar, I became a protégé of a prolific sculptor, Jimmy Okon Ukpong, who broadened my knowledge immensely in Fibre glass charging and casting.
One moment of truth is good sculptors are always hard to find. Among the other genres of visual art, sculptors are fewer, because of the control sculpture holds. It is a serious art that easily exposes a mediocre and mediocrity is the beginning of failure. My passion for sculpture propels me and keeps my creativity alive, without, allowing any distraction from the everyday vicissitudes of life. It has been a best period of career prosperity for me, though; there were trying periods that were so challenging, yet, surmounted through strong will and the drive to succeed. My career for the records can be classified into three stages that I call Teething, Reality and Transition periods.”
What a commanding performance! Guests seem to be telling one another at the exhibition
Inventing at the Crossroad.
Periods, time, session, moment, era, all make a man’s odyssey. They are the mischief documentarians that we don’t seem to take notice, as they move with us with records. “Men’s evil deeds are written on brass, the good ones on water. When you are right, no one remembers, but when you are wrong, no one forgets.”
“Being able to round up my programme was a landmark achievement for me, as it became the formative period of my sojourn for me as a young person. I read Fine Arts and majored in Sculpture. I graduated with a lot of theories, though, little work experience. I met a prolific sculptor, Jimmy Okon, also a product of my alma mater, a very versatile artist, who was an action packed personality. He is a jack of trade and master of all. Everywhere and all around me, I was involved in more practicals, which actually became my bread and butter. Jimmy gave me that kind of challenge I truly need to prosper in my career transformation, especially, in the area of fibre glass and casting. I became enthralled! After my one year stay in Calabar, Cross River, I moved back to Benin, to continue my life and got that prospect to excel as a sculptor.
As we all know, indecisions can cost someone life changing opportunities. Nature is in believing. My second is a time I call Reality period, now I have to decide where I want to be and what I want to do. It is always the normal norm to go and look for work as a fresh graduate but I decided to be my own man and boss, as I soldiered on and started re-inventing myself to suit the demands of the public. I have to earn a living. I got a spring board from my father, who gave me my first office and studio. I immediately delved into moulding and casting, though with limited funds at my disposal, but I kept sailing. After selling a few of my pieces, I was able to purchase polyester resins that are made specifically for automobiles, very easy to use and light in weight, the movement becomes so easy.
Later, I got hooked onto the ‘Golden Fleece’ syndrome. I relocated to Lagos and this is the third period for me. I did an evaluation of myself, and concluded I have to be at the right place all the time, if I want to make success out of what I believe in and it’s up for me to grab. Constant training and devotion, I talk my art, read my forms, create my works and celebrate my passion, as I realised if I don’t have a zeal, then I am on my way down. I chose to remain at the top. One thing I have discovered in business is how to be truthful to myself. Do not let kindness and truth leave you, because they are life changing gifts if well cultivated.
I knew Lagos was the place for me and some of my friends and colleagues were already there and were not doing badly. The typical Lagos lingo ‘Jonny Just Come’ gripped me as well. Though I found favour in a friend of mine Kennedy Osula, now deceased, who gave me my first accommodation, by allowing me to move in with him. Kennedy also assisted in selling some of my works by being a Lagos person and introducing me to a whole lot of what was happening at the Lagos scene. Everything in Lagos works and sells. Even noise, if properly packaged, sells in Lagos. Everyone is always on the move, the culture here is so different, yet, with so much space to excel. With a dint of hardwork, the edge to succeed, artpreneurship became my goal and I gave everything within me to go the next drive. I diversify into metal and did justice to it, since, I already had a welding machine. I made good sales from my casting and in a few months, I moved into my own apartment somewhere in Gbagada, mainland part of Lagos.”
Inspiration
Success knocks around our doors and opportunities abound at our grasps. Never to allow anyone dictates to us or rather tell us we cannot achieve anything, as we all know, dreams come true. The grace remains to be original.
“Presently, I specialised on metal construction, fibre casting and installation art. Being inventive brings originality and I have seen myself grown due to this principle. I abhor copycats, I mean artists who cannot create or think outside their comfort zone, they would rather, want to imitate others to excel and command glory. Conventionally, it is believed in one way or the other, we get influenced by concepts and ideas around us, copying to get there is moving in the wrong direction. All the sculptural pieces I presented for my last collaborative show are unique and special. Each has its different stories to tell. Let me re-visit some of the creations and explain the underlying themes and inspirations behind the creations. The African Lady (Woman of Light Africa) came out of the lantern experience. The introduction of the map of Africa also came, simply because I wanted to have a wider audience. So I decided to make the map depict the face of an African woman with features such as high cheek bones, thick lips and a massive forehead. The lantern role is functional and I used it as a form of ear piece to form an aiding tool to one of her five vital senses and that happens to be her eyes. While designing her eyes, I sought for a re-purpose steel and automobile part and for the finishing lines, I simply applied used auto lacquer to secure that durability required.
Another work that is part of the collaborative exhibition was the Obioma image. Obioma is a selfless entrepreneur. A mobile tailor that is so popular in West Africa and widely patronized by the people due to their fast and cheap services. The word ‘Obioma’ is an Igbo language expression, while in Yoruba, he is called ‘Ejika ni soobu’, which literally translates,’ my shoulder is my workshop!’ I got the inspiration through one of my car shock-absorber that was lying fallow in my studio but creatively lying fallow. I became dead curious with the discarded metal, when I found some kind of human legs in them. I had a rusty old sewing machine in the studio as well for a long time, then, I just gathered them together and fashioned out what I called Obioma. I only added auto lacquer spray on them for durability.
The Song, “Dialogue with Valdes Manolo”, was influenced by my love and an avid follower of a Spanish sculptor, who is well known for his outstanding outdoors and monumental sculptural pieces. He is Valdes Manolo. I have followed his career passionately and I got the spring to do some sculptural creations to celebrate him. I used a Nigerian context in my approach to do this. I got a spring bed, in modern time or era is no more in vogue, when setting up a home for the family and formed a hairstyle from it. Then, for the neck, I got some discarded parts of a regular metal drum, allowing a little blue colour left. Through this, a woman figure emerged in the form of a singer and from the installation, one could see the singing position which brought out the title The Song. I didn’t add any colour or paint to it, rather, I allowed the audience to enjoy the rawness of the art and every component added to construct it. Once again, I added auto transparent lacquer to secure its durability.
Bold Fusion
Trust and love bond, sincerely, build a team. Such team moves steadily without being insensitive to one another, simply because they are a team. They build, explore, conquer and celebrate together. They become bold in decision and their fusion remains bold.
Exhibiting artists Ayoola Gbolahan, Tony Evbodaghe and Ebenezer Samuel
“This is a show that will linger on in my mind for a long time to come. It all started when I got a phone call from Ebenezer Akinola, who told me about the Signature Beyond gallery owner, Rahman Akar proposal of having a group exhibition. He was enthralled when he saw one of my sculptural pieces in a friend’s home, a 6ft metal sculptural piece of a beautiful radiant female dancer and he wondered where on earth is this artist. He would want to have me on a show. Rahman immediately put a call across to me for a meeting. This was about two years ago to be precise. We had series of meetings and deliberated on the collaborative exhibition, the medium, strength of our approach and styles coming to fusion in a bold manner. I think at the end, we made a good and effective decision with a well organised and united team coupled with that strength of purpose to succeed and break new grounds. Though, there were obstacles, such as logistics and commitments that are very much peculiar to humans and everyday business purpose, we overcame all the challenges based on trust and love for one another. Burns Effiom, our curator is ‘our man Friday’, who stood by the team to attain close to perfection in terms of selection of works, archiving and documenting the works through writing proposals and creating catalogue for the project. Burns is a quicksilver, I must admit. He is very creative and a mind blower in his opinion. His strength lies in his ability to open doors of obstacles creatively, since, he is also a performing artist. We are so much grateful to Burns for coming into the show at the right time. He gave us the title “Metal, Faces and Cocks” and every one of us was able to showcase the best God has deposited in us creatively.
From Dreamland to Graceland.
Signature for Swing
In a man’s life, it is better you are known for something and be truthful to what you know and then stick to it. A man who touts around, ends being a professional tout, claiming estacodes from touting. If we all decide in life to do the same thing, funny enough, there won’t be any room for growth, creativity, service and more importantly, we would only be existing and not living.
“You can imagine the impact of signatures left on the blueprint of Signature-Beyond gallery. Hardwork and commitment to one’s vocation always pay off at the end. Imagine the three of us, two are painters and I am the only sculptor, but the fusion was just incredible! The painters, Ebenezer Akinola and Ayoola Gbolahan displayed different styles in painting. Ayoola is a modern painter, Ebenezer came with his photographic images and expressions on canvas. I brought a minimalist and collage-like rendition, using re-purpose steel and found objects for my creations. Every one has a particular signature that became part of the exhibition’s rhythm to make that statement we deserved. The trumpets were blown, records and standards were set from the dynamic rhythm of our forms.
Rhapsody in Metals is a form of expression, creatively invented in varied means and forms. Poise and gaits are some of the element one easily picked from the stylised images. The themes are subtle but strong in metal. A very important unique attribute that I have developed over time is the ability to think outside the box, which has been my unique selling point in the game. One thing for sure is the art business is so dynamic and with the advent of technology and the information tech-art and artists, the world does not wait for conventionalism anymore. You have to be unique and have a unique selling point to measure up not just creatively, but internationally. Talent is not always and can never be enough, we must keep inventing. I always keep in mind, my culture, the materials that I work with, ability to be expressive with my work, it becomes a revolutionary tool for me, rich creative environment and my themes all the time. I don’t want to end up in an identity mess.
I love being original and I always strive to live as a better person. I am glad to be a different person and not part of a ‘bandwagon effect’. My art and career have been able to speak for me. Portraying the culture of my people has always been part of my artistic adventures so far and this I have been able to portray through works of art. Though, there are more to be learnt in being a creative person and a business man. The power of administration and management is required to do this. My wish would have been to be left alone to handle my creative aspect and let someone else do the money making aspect of my art. But it is a crazy world! Exploitations, greed, exploitative corrupt people, are just out there to create those stumbling blocks you hardly envisaged. That is why I am a creator and also a marketer of my art. I am Tony, Toni, Etoni!
Images courtesy of Tony Evbodaghe
