Artist Tasks RSG On Art Gallery

A 29-year old artist and member of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), Rivers and Bayelsa States Chapter, Mr. Promise Onwunali has urged the Rivers State Government to encourage visual arts in the State by building an act gallery where talented artists can display their works.

Onwunali, who made the call in an interview with The Tide regretted that despite the abundance of resources and talents in Rivers State, the state was still far behind in terms of visual art works compared to states like Lagos, Edo and Enugu, due to what he called “government’s negligence of the art sector”.

This, according to him, has led to the mass exodus of many talented artists of Rivers and Bayelsa States origin to Lagos.

“Lagos State did not just become a centre of art and entertainment industry. The economic viability of Lagos and the right attitude of the Lagos State Government towards art and entertainment industry made it so and Rivers State can also achieve the same feat by providing enabling environment for the sector to thrive”, he said.

The 29 year old graduate of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) who organized an exhibition preview of his visual art works yesterday at Le Meridien Ogeyi Place, GRA Phase II, Port Harcourt, noted that with encouragement from the state government, the artists in the state have the talent and potentials to catch up with their counterparts in Lagos State.

“You know almost everything in Nigeria revolves around money. People prefer to go to places where their works would be appreciated. Just estimate the cost of the exhibition preview I am planning to organize on Sunday (yesterday) at Le Meridien Ogeyi place. You know how much it costs to do an exhibition in such an hotel. If there is an art gallery or museum or even a cultural centre in Port Harcourt where various visual art works could be displayed for people to see and buy, the exhibition would certainly be less expensive”, he stated.

The Rivers State born young artist said the exhibit preview was a taste of the main show slated for September, this year. Tagged “Of thoughts and Internal Chaos”, the exhibition preview was to showcase his various new art works, as well as an attempt to inject life and visual content into an inflexible society like Nigeria.

Boye Salau