TWO OF VICTOR’S PAINTINGS: Above “Door of Ascension,” and “Door of Resilience”
Victor and I sit at the bar of the Sofitel Moorehouse Hotel in Lagos; it is raining nonstop, as it has been all day, the dreaded rainy season in Nigeria, which lasts until August or September, the friendly bellboy reminds me. All one hears is the sound of the rain falling, and the clicking of laptops (yes, it is wireless in the bar here, so happy hour turns into login hour for many). Victor has his own laptop in front of him, as do I; he shows me his splendid portfolio, each piece more extraordinary than the next, the contrast of bright colors, soft palettes and even black and white images. I show him newspaper pages from here and there. We draw inspiration from similar sources, and he is happy when I tell him that one of his paintings became my own inspiration in Nigeria. See my June 11th blog posting: https://www.garciamedia.com/blog/articles/the_color_palette_was_on_the_wall/.
MARIO: How do you see the role of design in newspapers?
VICTOR: The design of newspapers here has never been well thought out. I have been living outside the country for years, and I cannot navigate the content of a Nigerian paper like I can The Washington Post, for example. When the Post tells you to go to A3 for a continuation, you get it and you find it. Here, there is NO sense of where you are going. The editors here don’t see photography as part of storytelling, yet we have wonderful images in my colorful country, and I carry my camera with me, and you will be amazed at what one sees, but this does not appear in the newspapers here. (See two of Victor’s photos below). The role of newspaper design here is nonexistent. Stories tend to be very long, photography is dull (mostly handshakes and head shots of political figures). I continue to be amazed by how little participation the many creative artists whom I know in Nigeria have in newspapers. A wasted talent pool, if you ask me. We have the artists, the designers, the photographers, but nobody has gone after them. It’s time somebody does.
MARIO: In your paintings you use explosions of color? Where do you get your inspiration?
VICTOR: This is rainy season, and you see colors, so imagine what it is during dry season when the colors are everywhere. If you travel outside of Lagos, to villages you have shrines with symbols, designs, alphabets that have meanings, so it is not only the symbolic, but the beauty of the designs. I continue to be inspired by what I see. It is all there. We have a tradition of design in this country, but especially the Uli artists whom I think excel in design and creativity. They deal with straight lines, drawings that are very symbolic, linear drawings, manipulation of lines. None of this has ever transferred to newspapers at all. What a shame. I use it in my art, it is my inspiration for sure.
MARIO: Do you think Nigerian readers are ready for a newspaper that is visual?
VICTOR: Yes, people in Lagos are in a hurry, they want immediacy, and they want a visual, colorful representation of things, which is why we dress in color, both men and women do here. Our newspapers are very traditional, with editors not paying attention to content; the photography is usually boring; it is like entering a maze, no organization, no hierarchy, no navigation to guide the reader. Yes, people are ready for change, for a newspaper that would be easier to navigate. One word to describe the papers here is crazy.
LENS ON THE NIGERIAN LANDSCAPE: “Good photos are everywhere in my country, one has to stop and look to capture that moment,” said Victor as he showed two of his recently shot photographs, “Racing to the Forest,” and “Relics of Yesterday” (above)
WE SEND YOU: Victor’s world—
http://www.sozaboy.com
http://www.newweb.net/~victor/artist.htm
http://www.nigeriansinamerica.com/authors/18/Victor-Ehikhamenor
http://www.sentinelpoetry.org.uk/0306/index_files/page0026.htm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/withinreason/sets/72157605273663384/ (displays Victor’s works, as well as that of other artists)
WHERE IS MARIO? Watching the rain fall in Lagos, Nigeria, mesmerized by the smell of the earth as it rains, a reminder of the Cuba of my childhood. Not to mention that, indeed, the restaurants here serve what they call a typical Nigerian dish: fried plantains. Well, I call it a typical Cuban dish as well: my mother’‘s are the best. Also on the menu tonight: goat soup. Pass the baby greens, please.
TOMORROW: The New Ugly, The Plain Ugly, The Not So Ugly:
What constitutes beauty in our craft?