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Chinze Ojobo gathers female artists for visual dialog

By Eniola Daniel
26 November 2022   |   2:30 am
The President, Female Artists Association of Nigeria (FEAAN), Chinze Ojobo, recently gathered 26 female artists from different parts of Nigeria under the same roof for a Visual Dialog art exhibition.

The President of, Female Artists Association of Nigeria (FEAAN), Chinze Ojobo, recently gathered 26 female artists from different parts of Nigeria under the same roof for a Visual Dialog art exhibition.

 
The artists, aged 23 and above, gathered at the Lagos Continental Hotel on November 1, this year, for the show that will peak on December 4.

Sponsored by Sterling Bank and Lagos Continental Hotel with the support of the Taiwan Trade Centre, the 26 professional artists are showcasing 60 works from all genres of art.
 
Speaking with The Guardian on the exhibition, Ojobo said: “Usually we use our work for advocacy but this time we decided to do things differently. We are focusing on empowering female artists and making them compete favourably.
  
“We started in 2001 and we have enjoyed the support of the U.S., UK, Spanish and French embassies, then the United Nations (UN) women for our women’s day exhibition.

 
“In this exhibition, we are being sponsored by Sterling Bank, Lagos Continental Hotel but the Taiwan Trade Centre initiated it.

“We have 26 female exhibitors this year but 78 artists applied to be part of the show. We picked the best of them to showcase what they are made of and what they can do.

“I found my niche at a young age and I am helping young women to find theirs too. I work with Ankara, Woodwork. But basically, I do acrylic on canvas.”
 
Speaking on the theme, she said: “Visual means something we can see and Dialog means conversation. We stand with women on women’s day, which is advocacy, Violence Against Women on November 29; African Child on June 16. But with Visual Dialog, we want the women to make money and sell their art.”

 
Speaking on the journey of female artists in the country, she said: “When it started, it seemed everybody was down, but now young female artists are growing and improving. The essence of this platform is not to fight the men but to give the women chance to shine and to support them. I have had shows in the UK, and Hollywood, where I interacted with a lot of stars and thought children’s art in the U.S.
 
“We are exhibiting 60 works and we have artists from 23 years old up to my age. So, young ladies in this profession should keep working and not give up.”   
 
One of the exhibitors, Juliet Nzukwe, who is a visual artist, said: “ I am exhibiting five works, which is, the Making Baby series. Making Baby is all about the facial expressions of babies. We are in a society where we cherish having babies. So, it spurs me to do this. Having a child for the first time was the most beautiful thing I have seen; the way he sleeps and the yawn is the inspiration behind it.”

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