THREE years after his last solo outing, painter Rasheed Amodu returned in an exhibition he titled Sacred Precinct: Conquered Creative Challenge, which opened last Saturday, November 19 at Yusuf Grillo Gallery, Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech), Lagos. It will run till November 30, 2011.He said the new body of works dwells on 'my quest to conquer the fearless or limitless frontiers of creativity.'It is a truism that the more of the creative energy that you use, an artist is replenished with much more creative spirit flowing in his soul. So, I am encouraged by this fact and never to look back. I trudge on fearlessly in my creative odyssey on colours and anything in my artistic expression.'It covers the whole gamut of excellence and man's striving for perfection in whatever field of human endeavour: The Lost Daughter of Lust is on prostitution, while Window into my Onaistic Soul is an Ona-inspired naturalistic portrait.'Works such as Nigerian: My Country of Many Cultures and Beloved Africa ponders the qualities, challenges and growth of Nigeria and Africa. The masks and faces series are 'Africans', 'Playmates', 'Kindreds', 'Familiar Portraits' and 'Eternal Sun of Wealth' as well as 'Goddess in Transformation' who jostled 'His Royal Ancestor' into this class.The challenges of survival of many Nigerian, who live in poverty, is pushed to the front-burner in 'Millennium Beggar', 'Pulling my Life' and 'Shouldering my Responsibility' as well as 'Season of Survival'. 'The Union' portrays the beauty in peace and unity. 'Peace Conference' takes us back to the world of abstracted rendering of symbols and stylised depictions in a global campaign for peace. All the aforementioned works of art are wonderful studies in a unique marriage of realism/naturalism and abstraction.'Heaven's Gate' is a classical and academically inspired abstracted rendition of a spiritual heaven's gate in a personalised creative diction of yore and present trials. 'Reflections of Wonder' is a naturalistic depiction waltzed in an abstracted sun, with his timeless rays reflecting on the water surface in an immortal conversation with Olokun, god of the Sea. 'Sacred Symbols' pushes out some of the major religions sacred symbols in our world.Amodu's artworks portray giftedness and artistic vision as shown in 'Sacred Precinct'. Nigeria is battling with corruption among the ruling class.But, it is also true that the government is a reflection of the governed. It behoves all to clean up their acts and arts, and take it to greater height for a decent, moral and cultural as well as political level.This is to say that by the time most Nigerians purge themselves of hatred against self and state, and become pure and positive in their thoughts and deals, the country will be a better place to live in, and she would get to her promised 'Sacred Precinct' on time to savour joy, peace and happiness in a society that works and worthy to be called the giant of whatever.Amodu stated, ''Sacred Precinct' aims to promote the best of assemblages, paintings, mixed media and drawings at this point in time without any bias or negative disposition in my artistic or creative challenges. It is all about well researched, executed and packaged works of arts without blemish'.
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