Inside the Mind of an Artist
In Conversation with: Julius Agbaje
An insight into the inspiration and drive behind this Nigerian artist - one who has had a penchant for visuals for as long as he could remember; a person unique in every sense of the word. He’s got a story to tell, I’m sure you’ll love it!
Note: All art featured in this post was made by Julius Agbaje.
“I’m using myself as a microcosm for a larger audience of people that might feel the same way that I feel. The selfishness of the human thought is that we feel our experiences our exclusive to us. We always assume that no one else feels the way that we feel - but that’s not true. It’s embedded in our DNA to carry similar traits with other people. It doesn’t matter that a person doesn’t share your skin color, your food, your culture etc. There are more people out there that would resonate with your feelings very much.”
“I’m always excited to find out how people perceive my art. I’d rather have someone say my art is crap than it is beautiful…It’s fine art! it’s supposed to beautiful!! But beyond that, what do you see? does it make you think? does it stop you in your tracks? does it get you questioning your humanity? somethithing about yourself, your existence?
When you say art is ugly, it means there is something about it that’s striking, that makes you uncomfortable… I want (my art) to make you uncomfortable enough to notice it. When I started my art journey about 3 years ago, I started off using anthropomorphism. It was controversial especially in this part of the world (Nigeria). One person once told me ‘why didn’t I just make the same thing that everyone else is making?’ - that’s boring. Majority of the attacks I got for my work were from the older generation - it was evident they weren’t my target audience. It made them the most uncomfortable because they had certain ideologies and idiosyncrasies that they weren’t ready to let go of. It was hard for them to compromise, to understand art can be anything more than the visual imagery that appeals to their ego. I got a lot of love to be honest, from young people and people abroad. It gave me a lot of joy explaining my art and talking to them about new things and getting them to see from a new perspective and getting to hear their own experiences as well so I can learn from them.”
“My current body of work titled “50 Shades of Me” describing the narcissistic tendency of an artist:
(This collection) is inspired by a quote by my favorite lecturer back in school: ‘there’s a thin line between narcissism and self-doubt.’ I find it so fascinating because it is so apt - sometimes you feel you’re on top of the world, and other times you’re doubting yourself. It’s really interesting for the work I’m creating.”
“Some of my works for the past few years feature pipes - they’re metaphorical of how humans are conduits that allow the flow of information, the flow of energy - they can resist, hold and control that flow. We sometimes think our activities are inconsequential but in one way or another, they always have a way of affecting someone else. There is always a ripple effect for everything that you do - for every action, there is always an equal and opposite reaction.”
A little Background info:
“I didn’t set out to be artist, I was to be a computer engineer prior to dropping out.” He dropped out because despite being an exceptional student, there was ‘something missing’ in what he was doing. In an African home, dropping out of school to pursue art wouldn’t have garnered as much support as he did. He taught art for a short period where he re-discovered his love for art through studying art books keenly while still working as an art tutor.
On the headless figures?!!:
“I’ve painted hundreds of portraits but it was too mundane, too unilateral. I wanted to defy the norm - the most common art you find is portraiture and figurative art. I wanted my audience to be participant in the art I create. So when I take out the head of my subject, from that moment on, the story becomes your story, you can embody the person.”
On SOCIETY:
“We are all one and the same - regardless of how you look at it. It’s a paradox because we are all one and the same and yet we’re all unique. Like in liquid mixtures- you can extract whatever elements that are in those mixtures and you will be left with water in the end (for liquids containing water) - some liquids are different but ultimately they are all water. Let’s take space exploration - the same people who have managed to mess up Earth as it is in terms of so called innovations that have helped us to evolve to the point where we’re at right now, are the same people who are now pumping all the money that they’ve made so they can go mess up another planet! There is this ideology in humans, that we are the most important element in nature. Because of that understanding, we have disrespected every other element of nature over time, to the point where it feels like the earth is now revolting and some of us are trying to salvage what’s left.”
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From the “50 Shades of Me” collection
On the current art scene in Nigeria:
“It has grown considerably. There is still a lot that could be done in terms of art appreciation on the end of the art enthusiasts, the patrons, the curators, the gallerists. Curatorial practice transcends the whole idea of just selling art. Artists my age and younger are looking abroad for opportunities - ask an average artist my age or younger where they’d like to do an exhibition, they say Hong Kong, London, the US and the likes. Do you blame them? You can’t because the people here are supposed to be our number one fans but they say things like you don’t deserve to sell your art for this amount, you haven’t practiced for so long.”
