200 artists display works at Ofala Oreze arts exhibition

Works of the art of over 200 artists from Nigeria and the Diaspora are on display at the Oreze International Arts Exhibition at Onitsha Ime Obi, the palace of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, in an exhibition that will end on Sunday, October 13.

The Oreze arts exhibition is now an important aspect of the Ofala festival of Onitsha Kingdom following its introduction in 2013 with Globacom as the major corporate sponsor of the festival since 2011.

Obi Achebe, who initiated the exhibition, said at the commencement of the event on Wednesday that it was intended to showcase the African culture to the rest of the world. “Our aim for introducing Oreze International Arts Exhibition is to bring the world to Onitsha and take Onitsha to the world through visual arts,” he stated.

Prof. Frank Ugiomo, a lecturer at the Department of Arts, University of Port Harcourt, who was the guest of honour, said he was fascinated by the profile of the exhibitors, describing the collection as “a mark of distinction.

“The work of art constitutes the remnant of self. Interacting with the work of art is interacting with oneself. The work of art should speak to us as a people and as such, the essence of this exhibition is for us not to lose our being. I, therefore, praise the Agbogidi, organisers of the exhibition, and the sponsors for consistently using this forum to remind us of who we are,” he added.