By Laraba MUREY
In a resounding celebration of artistic prowess, Spanish Ambassador Juan Sell expressed admiration for the outstanding achievements of Nigerian artists showcased at the 17th Visual Arts Contest, organized by the Embassy of Spain.
For nearly two decades, the embassy has been dedicated to spotlighting and promoting Nigerian artistic talent on an international platform. The annual contest serves as a gateway, with the winner earning the prestigious opportunity to attend the renowned ARCO art fair in Madrid by January 2024.
This year’s edition featured 60 artists from across Nigeria, each contributing to the diverse and vibrant artistic landscape.
A distinguished panel, comprising representatives from the National Gallery of Arts, Omenka Gallery, Thought Pyramid Gallery, the Society of Nigerian Artists, and a Spanish gallery, meticulously selected 19 captivating works. From these, three exceptional artists emerged as this year’s winners.
Sell emphasized the crucial role of the contest in supporting emerging artists, providing a stepping stone for them to pursue professional careers in the arts. The exhibition, currently on display at Thought Pyramid Gallery, stands as a testament to the commitment of both nations to fostering cultural exchange and artistic collaboration.
Reflecting on his third edition overseeing the contest, the envoy expressed his enthusiasm for the evident growth in artistic excellence. Thought Pyramid Gallery, he noted, maintains a high standard of commitment to the arts, signaling a promising future for the Nigerian art scene.
“As you may know, I oversee the amazing 17th edition of the Visual Arts Contest organized by the Embassy of Spain in Abuja. For close to 20 years, we’ve been dedicated to promoting Nigerian artists in Spain. We achieve this by inviting the contest winner to attend the world-famous art fair in Madrid called ARCO. This event takes place every January.
‘In this year’s edition, we had 60 artists from all over Nigeria participating. The selection process is managed by a panel, facilitated by our partners: the National Gallery of Arts, Omenka Gallery, Thought Pyramid Gallery, the Society of Nigerian Artists, and, this time around, a gallery from Spain. Together, they chose 19 works that you can view at Thought Pyramid Gallery and determined the three winners of this year’s edition.
“Our goal is to support upcoming and starting artists, showing them that they can pursue a profession in their craft. We aim to be part of their initial steps toward very successful artistic careers.”
Cultural Advisor, Eva Martin, said, ‘And for us, our contribution is again, not for those so consolidated artist, but for those who are starting, and because sometimes it’s just, you know, to get someone to recognize you. And so when the artist travels to Spain for us is basically to allow them to network, you know, to first get to know something else in life.
“And I think that once you have artists that have these but maybe they haven’t had the opportunity to be exposed to such things. While it’s something to experience firsthand.”
Also speaking, juror, Jacqeline Suowari, explained that, “there are two things technicality and patience. So technicalities that know how to know where to place the wood chippings then technique is not something that’s commonly practiced in Nigeria So for me when I saw his work, I’m like, this is something different, something unique, something that I can appreciate , the fact that he used two heroes that represent both countries.
“This is after all, a Spanish embassy competition. And he chose Pablo Picasso, who is a very great legendary artist from Spain, and if he chose Dr. Bruce Onobrakpeya was another great legendary artist from Nigeria. So bringing the two together and you know, creating the synergy when you put them side by side is such a beautiful thing then,I can’t fault anything from the presentation.”
On his part, the winner and graduate of Auchi State Polytechnic, David Sumaunu, expressed excitement for clinching the grand price said, “I feel great. I feel awesome because this is my tired time of attempting. It’s more like a happy moment for me. I just want to improve myself. So this is not the stopping line for me. I have to step higher that’s how life works.”
From left to right: Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Juan Sell; juror, Bukar Abraham Sharwa; second runner-up, John Ali; first runner-up, Nnamdi Udoka; winner, David Sumanu Juror, Jacqueline Suowari; Cultural Adviser, Eva Barta Martin., during the Inspiring Minds Awards ceremony and Art Exhibition of the finalists of the 2023 edition of the Visual Arts Competition.
