At show, Aregbesola seeks artists, govt partnership for creative development

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has urged talented artists to approach Ministries Departments and Agencies for partnership that will birth creative ideas and practices aimed at enhancing the growth of the nation.

Aregbesola, who spoke recently at an art event organised by the Interior Ministry, maintained that though government has its role to play in promoting art, citizens, including inmates in correctional facilities, should also feel free to exhibit their talents in a way that will promote nation-building.

In his wordss: “Civilians, who are talented, and art inclined bodies should partner with the service for exhibition. You need to visit our correctional facilities to see what we do, it’s not as if inmates with talents and creative abilities are suppressed in any way, we allow them to express themselves, as regards organising exhibitions, as good as that idea is, artists should partner with openings either as a ministry or correctional service and we will gladly support it.”

Commenting on the Outdoor Mural Impression on the ministry’s walls, Aregbesola revealed that he had executed similar artistic projects in Osun State during his administration as Governor as well in Lagos during his tenure as Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure.

While saying the entire process of art inspires him, the minister said: “Art is an expression of precision and acute sense of observation, which is related to mathematics, but in its own separate and independent form.”

The Project Coordinator, Athanasius Akojuru, who was working on the site, explained the steps to getting a perfect mural.

Akojuru said attention must be paid to details, as each drawing tells a story about the ministry and the agencies it supervises.

“You must first use chemicals to smoothen the wall, so that whatever paint you apply will come out clean, after that, we now sketch and transfer the art to the wall using a projector before finally painting.,” he said.

Akojuru added that technology has made mural art easier compared to the days where sketching were done by drawing grid lines with hands.

“Because of the size and nature of the design, we did not trace it with hands as it was done the olden days, we had to get all the slides, programme them in the system and then project via our projector directly to the wall. When we do that, it gives us the real picture and then we sketch directly on the wall before applying the colours.”

On his part, one of the artists, Saviour Amasi, maintained that the work on the ministry’s wall can last for more than 10 years and has zero chances of washing or fading.

“We do not use the normal paint, this is deluxe, and it was specially made for outdoor murals like this. We will do vanishing, that way it can last as long as the wall is there.”

He added that being a mural artist required a lot of creativity and must be done by a professional.