“Something just keeps telling me to place the next stroke, to pick up a brighter hue and then fast forward some six to eight hours later you can find me just staring at the piece”, Anedu Edozie shared with me, the creative process behind the appealing works of art on his Instagram page: @anedu.edozie
The page, like an art gallery, is decorated with paintings that are sure to catch the eyes of a first time visitor, just as they are likely to arouse curios interest. “Much Ado about Nothing”, a two-part series on the page, shows people-like forms positioned in a not so regular pattern, signalling confusion amongst the subjects.
The pieces, separately, and even when put together, are undeniably beautiful; but without Anedu’s descriptive caption, the thought behind the art might not click. “…you can see (this) is a group of Yoruba men arguing”, he wrote in the caption; and added that it took him five long months to figure out the piece, confirming that a level of intelligence is required for full appreciation of his works. “I know the kind of audience my works are created for, not the shallow minded or superficial audience but viewers who have had a connection with their inner self”.
The graphical illustration of the message in “Not My Business” — Professor Niyi Osundare’s famous poem — is another hard-to-ignore material in Anedu’s impressive showcase. The poem captures the line of disconnect between stakeholders of the society, exploited by military men, through their oppressive habits, before the arrival of democracy. This transaction is visible between the characters in Anedu’s piece: the oppressed, the oppressor, the soon-to-be oppressed, the unconcerned.
