Guardian TweetChat Recap: Victor Ehikhamenor

Nigeria is blessed with unique and diverse artists, and in a country where being one is viewed as a part-time job, and its relevance purely underrated, the voice of Victor Ehikhamenor sounds strong as he reinforces the importance of the art community, home and abroad.

Ehikhamenor is an all-rounder – a visual artist, writer and photographer – and in his Tweet chat with The Guardian on Thursday, November 3, 2016 he went into details about the art industry, his inspiration, and aspirations.

As he delved into the world of the contemporary artist, Ehikhamenor said: “These are interesting times, it is growing and towards the right direction. The diversity and energy is encouraging.”

Being creative to Ehikhamenor means the ability to see everyday normality from an angle that makes it interesting from ways others are used to; a refreshing stand point that people need to adapt to considering the country’s current economic situation.

Ehikhamenor has featured in so many exhibitions this year, and still vivid in the hearts of art lovers was the installation of “The Prayer Room” at Dak’Art Biennale in Senegal which, according to him, was inspired by the communal places where meetings and prayers are held in his homeland of Esan in Edo state.

Moving closer to home is his work ‘Before You Sister Idoto We Stand Naked’, which will be exhibited at Art X Lagos, West Africa’s first international art fair featuring contemporary art from across Africa and the Diaspora.

Being a veteran in the creative industry, Ehikhamenor lays emphasis on the virtue of patience as a creative, which in Nigeria would be the greatest asset to have due to a lack of proper structure to support the art industry.

And when asked what the art industry needs to thrive in Nigeria, he replied: “Proper museums/spaces and government’s genuine interest and understanding of the importance of arts in the society.”