Lagos-based artist Dennis Osadebe isn’t your average painter. He’s a mixed-media master and sculptor, known for his vibrant works that redefine traditional African art under his term, “Neo-Africa.” Despite facing challenges early in his career due to limited arts education, Osadebe’s determination and focus on empowering viewers have propelled him to international exhibitions and collaborations.

But Osadebe’s art isn’t confined to canvases. His recent installation, “Passing, Building and Victory,” took centre court at the second edition of NBA Meets Art in Lagos, Nigeria. This vibrant piece, featuring pink courts and vintage-inspired players, delves into the very essence of teamwork.

In an interview with Omolola Ajadi, Osadebe delves deeper into the inspiration and message behind his work and explores the themes of teamwork and community building.

Question: Please share the inspiration behind the theme Passing, Building, or Victory for this installation.

Dennis: This collaboration was born from the ethos behind basketball, in the sense that sports in general are centred around working together as a team. And I thought that it was important to celebrate this idea of teamwork and also to use this philosophy in sports for our community. Because I truly believe that for the community to achieve greatness, everyone has to come together to work together. So, we needed to work on collaboration that put this at the forefront, in the sense that if you pass, you can build a team, and you can achieve victory.

Question: What key lesson(s) do you want viewers to take away from this installation?

Dennis: Primarily, I would love for the viewers to, first of all, feel a sense of joy because the work is presented most joyfully: the courts, reimagined in pink, and the players, looking very vintage because they are inspired by childhood figurines. And most importantly, I want people to take away community, which is key. I wanted something reflective of community building. If we’re going to make Nigeria better, especially in the period that we are in right now, I think that we can’t do it in isolation. We have to come together to build that Nigeria and that was the main purpose behind this work. It is like each player is with the ball, but instead of them about to make a point, they’re all stretching their arms because they are looking for a player to pass to, so it’s like we all need to take on that philosophy and work with each other all year.

Question: Moving away from the arts, could you tell us your favourite NBA team?

Dennis: Wow, this is always a tough question because I grew up in the 90s. So I grew up watching Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Iverson, and Vince Carter, and I’m a big sucker for these players, as I remember when I played NBA 2K, I’d always play with the Lakers, of course. But in terms of my favourite team, I’d say I just enjoyed all-star games because it was nice to see all these different players who are great in their teams come together, celebrate the sports, and represent their conference, and they want not only respect for their team, but they want respect for their conference as well and they need to do that together. So I’ll just say I just enjoyed watching the all-star games.

Question: Finally, can you describe what it feels like to be an artist in Nigeria? Do you believe that the culture and people of the country appreciate artistic talents?

Dennis: That’s a fantastic question. Being a Nigerian artist is very amazing for me, in the sense that I live here and work here. And it’s very important to me to do that because there’s so much energy in Nigeria and I just get the opportunity to pull from that energy and celebrate that energy. It’s not easy because we’re also in a community where the industry is not built, and it’s still at the very early stage of getting industrialised.

So, sometimes it feels really hard because you’re doing everything with your bare hands; there’s no place built for you; there’s no lawyer versatile enough in your practise and IP rights and all of those things, but what is exciting is that that is the potential and I work within that scope of potential. So, why not work here and build it and, you know, not do it by myself? Invite everyone, like the Guardian, which is doing a great job of covering arts as well, which I enjoy and love, because you (Guardian Nigeria) covered my first exhibition ever in Lagos and it meant the world to me to see my work represented in that way. So generally, being an artist in Nigeria is amazing.