By FOLAKE IDOWU
Joseph Eze’s latest exhibition, Stories from a barn 2, journeys through the artist’s imaginary and conjures up stories of women who are regal and worthy of adulation. Spanning three main series, this solo show invites the viewer to appreciate Eze’s broad vocabulary on representation and the role cultural identity plays in defining beauty.
Hosted by Filafriques, his gallerist in Geneva, the exhibition showcases more than 10 large works by Eze in which his artist evolution can be admired. This collection of works is a subtle but powerful departure from his prior style where much attention was given to painting women on very dark backgrounds with foliage often used as the backdrop. More attention is given to collage application in these works. The women’s heads are wrapped in wide cords of thread and they are posed almost as majestically as would a commissioned painting of the lady of the manor by a famous 18th century painter like Gainsborough.
These threaded structures hearken back to the days when women sat on small plastic stools and had their hair threaded with cotton or rubber, until they formed long branches that could be twisted and wound into undulating sculptures to flatter the woman’s features. These wove around the head until they were constructed into styles which had names and the more stylized they were made, the more revered they became. In truth, they are a master class in headdress artistry than mere hairdressing.
Eze has taken it a step further with his artwork. He shifts from the Nigerian viewpoint and expands outwards by questioning the placement of this traditional representation within the European or pre-colonial discourse.
One good example of this is “I was born in the time of colors”. Here the butterflies in the European-styled gown are repeated in the snapshot photo of the same dressed model who delicately holds up the image on her gloved hand. On her head perches rather nonchalantly, a vintage camera while her face bears the striations that remind one of the Ife terracotta heads.
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It is symbolic that Eze uses mixed media of acrylic paint, collage prints and historical referencing to style the women and the dresses they wear. In this collection, the high-necked ruff and wide shoulders of the dress present a woman who even from their side glance is assertive and confident. They have their place in history and they cannot be denied their right to tell their own story within this narrative.
Traces of Eze’s Nigerian heritage happily delineate his canvases. From the green kerosene stove in “We are not from her, we come from the sun” to the “African comb” and his ubiquitous use of owu, the traditional black threads used in West African hairstyling in the Figure in the arch series.
Eze may not be new to making art and showing his works internationally, however, this is his first show in Switzerland. The exhibition garnered a lot of attention and although the artist could not attend the opening in person, he was able to chat and answer questions via teleconference during the vernissage.
Here is an artist who also weaves the nostalgic with the contemporary. Most women in West African countries continue to navigate between the modern appliances and their reliance on traditional tools and Eze reflects this from their clothing choices to the use of the threads to wind those thick curly strands of hair into submission. Hair is a common theme in all of his works and he uses the dramatic hairstyles to create a bold assertion of identity.
His women take up space on the canvas and cannot be ignored. The gaze of the sitter in this new series is more direct. Notable in this regard is Lady B hair salon where the women are either being styled or are self-styling their hair, with hot presses, scissors, threads and combs at the ready. This piece carries complex messages but the references to Nigerian icons such as Herbert Macaulay and Onyeka Onwenu make it easier to trace out some of the subliminal messages that are being offered. There is also the leg extended across a stool as it stretches out a length of thread which must match the hairdresser’s specifications before it is used on the sitter’s head. Reference is also made to the hair grease which everyone who grew up in Nigeria would have seen or used at one time or the other.
In the Totem series, we see his focus is on gold, dots and a more stylized representation of the woman creating her own beauty standard. In Totem no. 5, she gazes almost adoringly at the owu, while in Totem no. 7, she holds it up in her gloved hand as though it is a rare object which must be venerated. Gold paint accentuates these figures, like Eze’s modern take on African iconography which is in the style of the old Flemish masters.
Some of his works in the show are tactile, offering not only a visual stimulus but an opportunity chance for the viewer to touch the threads that dangle from the base of his work to experience what the threading is like.
Eze may not be new to making art and showing his works internationally, however, this is his first show in Switzerland. The exhibition garnered a lot of attention and although the artist could not attend the opening in person, he was able to chat and answer questions via teleconference during the vernissage.
Geneva is a central hub for the arts, as the city has a thriving cultural heartbeat. Its annual social agenda is often packed with international film festivals and art shows, major theatre events, and music festivals. It even has Art Geneva which is the city’s answer to the infamous Art Basel. It is however undeniable that Geneva does not host many exhibitions by African artists. The city is perhaps conservative in this regard but this has been changing in recent years, thanks in part of the efforts of galleries such as Filafriques and Galerie Brülhart. There is no denying that there is still a long way to go for African artists to gain the visibility and acceptance they deserve in the contemporary art market.
The exhibition, which is a tour de force, closes on 2 February 2025.
