The Hopi believe that Kokopelli, a humpbacked fertility god, carries unborn children on his back and goes about distributing them to barren women. In some other Native American cultures, he blesses farmers with a bountiful harvest. But it is the mythical god’s fame as a raconteur that was on the mind of Dare Herald, a Nigerian artist and art collector, in 2020, when he founded his gallery and called it Kokopelli Art Gallery. Located in Ikoyi, Lagos, the gallery was founded in order to platform visual storytelling of the intercontinental variety, as well as promote contemporary Nigerian artists, a condition it has met through several exhibitions that indulged a range of artists, themes and artistic mediums. Starting from 26 November, and lasting until 30 December 2023, it will continue in that tradition with yet another exhibition, “Parallel Passages: Typology.”
A group exhibition, it will showcase the works of eight contemporary Nigerian artists, namely Victoria Makinde, Ronke Komos, Okedoyin Luli, Imomoh Asemokah, Ayela Nosawema, Eghosa Raymond, Babatunde Affiko, and Chinezim Moghalu. The artistic mediums will be as varied as the cast of artists, with paintings, sculptures and works of mixed media scheduled for display. “The exhibition,” according to the gallery, “seeks to reconsider the art of storytelling from the narrative of common classifications, making sense of complex systems and facilitating comparisons or analysis.”
Speaking to The Culture Custodian, Herald explains what to expect from the exhibition, why it is relevant now, and how the gallery has both changed and remained the same since its inaugural exhibition two years ago.
“Parallel Passages: Typology” takes typology as its subject. What does this mean in concrete terms?
Typology is analysis based on types or categories, and Parallel passages refers to how things mirror each other in meaning, structure and content. So the exhibition is being curated to highlight the subject of comparisons between connecting stories. We want to explore the identification of common traits or patterns and the experiment of connecting the dots in said stories.
The subtitle “types and shadows” suggests a religious, specifically Biblical undertone. How much are the works rooted in religious traditions?
Types and shadows have different manifestations, and they don’t have to be limited to religious application. We simply identified key themes related to typologies, and that is what the eight artists are working with. That’s not to deny a few of the works that actually have religious or spiritual undertones, but it’s not the general theme.
Why have you selected the eight artists whose works will be exhibited? What about their works makes them deserving of public viewing? Perhaps you can speak specifically about the works of Luli, Makinde, Nosawema, and Affiko.
For every Kokopelli’s project, we always look out for artists who have mastered the art of storytelling, as that is our core. These featured artists fall under that category. Luli Okedoyin tells stories like a celestial being. Gazing into the exaggerated eyes of his subjects takes me on a journey each time. I’m new to Victoria Makinde’s pieces, but my first encounter left me in thought. She captures emotions well, and I like her use of texture and shadow. Nosawema’s works have an esoteric feel; they mostly look like mysterious subjects who are speaking in muted language. I love his use of color and how fascinating the stories he tells are.
I regard Babatunde Affiko as a master artist, not only because he is older than the other artists but by how he tells stories with his sculptures. I’ve been familiar with his works longer than I have with any of the other artists, and, even on a personal level, his stories are always intriguing, so it wasn’t hard to consider him for the show.
How do the curated works both converge and diverge, thematically, formally, and otherwise?
The pieces being exhibited have similar themes because they fall under symbolistic storytelling but with variations in the area of the fictitiousness and also the realistic nature of the themes as a number of them are fictional while others are based on true events.
Formally, the works being exhibited share similarities because they’re all mostly figurative. The major difference is in the versatility of the artists, who explore different styles and techniques, from scribbling to mixed media and pastel to impasto technique, etc.
Thematically, formally, and otherwise, how is the exhibition similar to and different from “Two Brothers and One Lumbo”?
There are similarities thematically, because they both speak to the sociopolitical climate in Nigeria. But formally I’d say they’re not so similar, as the majority of the exhibited pieces for “Two Brothers and One Lumbo” show were digital.
What makes the exhibition relevant now? If at all it does, what societal yearnings, anxieties and preoccupations does it speak to?
I think the exhibition is very much relevant at the moment considering many of the works speak to the dysfunction in governance, as well as address different facets of the Nigerian political landscape and encourage discourse on activism and civic engagement.
The timing feels right as we almost haven’t ever had it this bad in the country..
2 years have passed since your inaugural exhibition, “A Roomful of Stories.” How has your gallery’s ethos and driving impulses both changed and stayed the same since then? What hard lessons have you learned about the Nigerian art space, and what challenges have you had to overcome?
I’d say it’s been two years of experiential learning, unlearning, and relearning. The Kokopelli Gallery was founded to showcase artists who have mastered the art of storytelling. So far we have had a number of thrilling exhibitions that I’d say exceeded expectations in terms of acceptance and relatability. One thing that’s peculiar to how the Kokopelli Gallery is run is the fact that our ethos remains unchanged; we keep churning out shows that align with our vision from day one.
We have had to overcome many challenges, such as how to collaborate with artists, logistical problems, and also how to find soft landings for every exhibition.
Where do you go from here?
We have some intervention programs coming up for emerging artists who may find it challenging to carve their own individual voices and niches. We’ve crafted a system by which we can showcase their works to a wider audience, and we’re also looking to export a number of our signature events, collaborating with other galleries and organizations that share our vision around the world.