Art is the display of skill and creativity in the promotion of aesthetics. Leo Tolstoy describes art as “the activity by which a person, having experienced an emotion, intentionally transmits it to others.”
The importance of art to society cannot be underestimated. It is very important in the society because it represents an essential ingredient to empowering the hearts of people. Art can be used to trigger people to react to national issues. Art can be employed metaphorically to send to messages leaders. It is likened to a tool for coded messages.
In this interview with a Lagos-based artist, Oladipo Olalekan Akinsete takes the reader through the essence of art and the best ways to appreciate its value.
Could you please introduce yourself? Kindly include in your introduction how you see art.
My name is Oladipo Olalekan Akinsete. I am a graduate in Art from Lagos State Polytechnic and the Polytechnic of Ibadan, Oyo State. I am married with kids. I see art as a way of life. I do say God created artists and others because art brings beauty and cultural value to mankind.
You have been doing great with your artistic works. How did you gain this knowledge?
I gain my knowledge from my environment. what I read, what I watched and most especially humanity, informed me a great deal.
Do you think artworks play any vital roles in human society? If yes, how?
This is huge. Art plays many significant roles in human society. This is explained from different perspectives: the clothes we wear, and the food we eat. Art is everything, including our existence. This fact is incontestable.
Do you have any role models?
My role model in art is Rembrandt A prolific painter, draftsman, and etcher. Rembrandt van Rijn is usually regarded as the greatest artist of Holland’s “Golden Age.” He worked first in his native Leiden and, from 1632 onward, in Amsterdam, where he had studied briefly (ca. 1624) with the influential history painter Pieter Lastman. Rembrandt is also known as a painter of light and shade and as an artist who favoured an uncompromising realism that would lead some critics to claim that he preferred ugliness to beauty. Early in his career and for some time, Rembrandt painted mainly portraits.
What informed your decision to become an artist?
As I said earlier, Rembrandt’s artistic sophistry triggered my interest in becoming an artist. However, when I was growing up, I found it easy to draw and make good ideas and concepts. So I kept trying, and I was getting better. My mum is another inspiration for my art career. She never gave up on me at all.
Have you ever participated in any art competitions and won awards?
Yes, many. When I was young, I remember the one we did then at Kingsway where my mum was working in Ibadan Oyo State. These days I have not really been engaging in an art competition. I had the best art result in my secondary school days.
Are there any challenges you face in this profession?
A lot. I have not received government support or grant as it is done abroad. If I had the opportunity of picking up any government appointment or elected position in this country, I would make sure artists receive grants and enough funding. The funding is poor. Patronage is very low and very discouraging. Besides, the body representing Nigerian artists promotes its own agenda. The leaders exploit artists a lot. They are not promoting art the way they should. This is so sad!
How do you think the government can support artists and what will the government benefit?
This can be done in many ways. They can release grants to support us. They can sponsor exhibitions and organize a competition. They can focus more on our cultural heritage. Also, artists need to be well-represented in government. And there are lots of benefits the government can derive from it. Through art exhibitions and competitions, the government can partner with organizations, companies and foreign agencies. Participants will also come globally. This is one major way the government can benefit from art.
How can artworks be used to correct the ills in society?
Many people aren’t aware that art is therapeutic. Did you know that art is used as a therapy in some medical cases? One artwork can change the mindset of the nation if properly channelled through the right process, and it can give a wrong signal and set the nation ablaze.
Do artists have any roles to play in modern technology?
On an individual level, engaging with the arts helps people synthesize information and solve problems, often leading to innovative breakthroughs in science and technology. On a global level, the arts define how technological advances shape the world around us. Take for instance, in STEAM, the letter ‘A’ represents art. Science and technology without art is incomplete. Many of the devices we use today have the contributions of artists. The artists take care of the themes on phones and television sets.
In conclusion, I have done many group exhibitions. I am currently embarking on my third solo exhibition which is tagged “The Way I Feel Season 3 Art and Coffee”. I have my works scattered all over the world.
Oladipo Olalekan Akinsete is the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Executive Chairman of Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye LCDA, Hon Rasaq Ajala.
