At the Bo Concept, Adetokunbo Ademola, Victoria Island, Lagos, last week, visitors walked through Ascension showrooms soaking in the short, multicoloured brushstrokes with which Nigerian celebrated photographer cum artist, Anny Robert and 10 others created portraits and landscapes and, marvelling at their creativity, talent and impact on 21st century art.
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Present at the private viewing was over 300 guests ranging from chief executive officers of tech companies to globally acclaimed artists, and emerging titans of industries.
   
Ascension, which featured 48 inspiring, and remarkable pieces in the setting of beautiful modern and contemporary luxury furniture, is an artist’s showcase designed by an experiential marketing company, Áwurè.
The show curated by Oluwaseun Kukoyi was aimed at thrusting emerging artists into the limelight.
  
This year’s headlining artist Anny Robert is one of Nigeria’s most celebrated commercial photographers, who had captured African giants such as the Ooni of Ife, Donald Duke, Tony Elumelu, Burna Boy, Wizkid and Folonsho Alakija behind the lens of his camera.
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For Robert, the show is just the beginning of the journey; his debut has proven to be a noteworthy ascension into the limelight.
Speaking on the show, Kukoyi who is also the Chief Creative Director, Awure, said: “We are showcasing artists between the age of 20 and 31, six females and five male artists. These are artists that we found to have the highest potential in terms of the ability to capture the culture of Nigeria as it is today.
   
“Art is a way to record our culture. The people that are recording the culture for future generations now are young people. They are people that created pieces on memorable events like the #EndSARS. A lot of old masters do not do that now because they have outgrown that phase of life. So, I’m trying to capture the artists that are recording culture and events as it’s happening now.
 
“This is going to be an annual exhibition and a travelling exhibition.”
Anny said: “I started out as a photographer. I’m mixing photography and traditional art and I want that to be my unique entry into the world of art.
  
“I am showing for the first time. A lot of my friends are not aware that I have all these pieces, and most of the works have never been seen before. I am also working on my solo exhibition.” 
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On the pieces for the show, he said: “This is a collection of pieces I started in 2015, kept them and trying to figure out my style. There is no underlining story running for each of the pieces asides from the fact that this is my journey so far. I have 13 single pieces and four sets of three for the exhibition.”
 
The graduate of Computer Science from the Covenant University explained what spurred his interest in art: “I don’t have an artist background, I learned on the go. I have no theoretical knowledge about almost all the things I am doing, it just came because I’m visually led a lot of the time.
 
“I think this is the phase I want. I want to commission pieces. I want to tell stories, I want to talk to people and basically create.”
  
Asked about his parents’ reaction when embracing art, he said: “My parents have been my biggest supporters. They loaned me the money when I indicated interest in photography. They saw how I was struggling in school, and they encouraged me to try and finish. I finished with a third class, but I’m visually led, I was a graphic designer and I dumped my whole self in that. I was born in Niger State, moved to Lagos because photography is not appreciated there and I have been doing well now.
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