A Rivers State-based upcycling artist’s solo exhibition in Port Harcourt stirs up conversations around the environment’s influence on nature and humans. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports
With such an attention-grabbing title as The Treasures Within, the solo exhibition, which opened on Sunday, February 11, at 4 p.m. at the Brick House along Akassa Street in Port Harcourt’s Old GRA, definitely makes no secret about its intentions. After all, it is obvious—isn’t it?—that the artist, Woko Joy Aguru, is drawing his audience’s attention to treasures that abound in unlikely places. “Treasures are everywhere, but only intentional eyes can see them,” corroborates the exhibition’s curator, Primrose Ochuba, in her statement. “Aguru Woko’s body of work invites us to experience beauty in what is otherwise regarded as waste. His explorations with wine corks, plastics, polycerene, aluminium, mop sticks, and other materials associated with dirt argue for eco-visualities, environmental sustainability, and friendliness.”
At the same time, the viewer must, of course, not overlook the fact that this exhibition, which concludes on Sunday, February 18, signifies a remarkable milestone in the Rivers State-based artist’s career trajectory. Aguru has, since his graduation in 2000 from the University of Port Harcourt with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sculpture, remained unwaveringly devoted to his studio practice. But what now sets him apart is his successfully weaning himself off the use of traditional pigments such as pastel, oil, and acrylic paints and breathing new life into such discarded objects and waste materials as wine corks, soda cans, and polystyrene, which coalesce into colourful visual expressions. Indeed, it is this keen obsession with repurposing and reshaping the familiar that ranks him among the growing tribe of unconventional artists.
Still on this artist’s much-highlighted “unconventional” creative approach, it is hard not to notice a conscious stylisation that clearly references traditional African masks. This, it appears, is what bestows a patina of aged beauty on his sculptures. Similarly, a close-up contemplation of his paintings makes the sensitive viewer subconsciously flinch in sudden misgiving before the excrescences of present-day society’s propensity for mammon worship. The fact that these repurposed found objects used to be casings or coverings for what was deemed essential consumables forces him into a sober reflection. This is also while noticing how the artist delicately infuses elements of ancient aesthetics into his exploration of contemporary issues. And it is in the smithery of this experimental fusion—the repurposing of discarded materials, which are oftentimes the detritus of imported consumables—that the artist’s credo of form and aesthetics is forged.
Perhaps that is what gladdens the hearts of many environmental activists about this exhibition, which is being organised by Delaroke Gallery, a gallery Ochuba credits with an “affinity [for] green air.” As for the works themselves, they are only vehicles of expression of the artist’s ultimate aim: rehashing a belaboured “waste-to-wealth” mantra. Indeed, how the recalcitrant environmental violators respond to such campaigns as Aguru’s is one thing—to them, they might have been words whispered in a storm. But it is another matter entirely how aficionados readily warm up to the visual euphony of works like “Anya Anya,” “In Her Flamboyance,” and “Flamboyant II,” among others.
So, in a nutshell, through this exhibition, the artist, who is known for his pioneering and leadership roles in the Rivers State Indigenous Visual Artists’ Association, contributes to ongoing conversations about the environment’s influence on nature and humans. This is in addition to drawing his audience’s attention to those valuable hidden treasures that have been hidden in plain sight.
As a child, Aguru developed a deep love for art, much like many other artists do. Even at the young age of five, he would replicate drawings and do a lot of sketching on sand. These early warning signs of an artistic calling were evident long before he enrolled at the University of Port Harcourt. Eager to wrench his art free from the clutches of the run-of-the-mill, he embraced upcycling as a way to give his art a unique twist. It is, however, worth noting that the 53-year-old had hitherto been making a name for himself in recent years, particularly in the Port Harcourt art scene, through his participation in several group exhibitions. In fact, he previously had a solo exhibition organised by the same gallery in the capital city of Rivers State. Additionally, Aguru participated in two group exhibitions in Lagos in 2018: the Miniature Art Expo at Mega Plaza and the Faces and Forms exhibition at the National Museum.
Over the years, the artist has actively engaged in various public-commissioned projects. One of such notable projects was the design and construction of the entrance gate for the Rivers State Carnival Village, which spanned from 2013 to 2014. Additionally, in a collaborative effort with esteemed art historian Frank Ugiomoh, he participated in the making of the landmark 1971 Foundation Monument situated at the heart of the University of Benin’s main campus. These remarkable achievements have further burnished his artistic credentials, along with his works, which adorn esteemed public and private collections alike.
