Ayo Adewunmi
Enugu (Enugwu), translated as “hilltop,” was established due to the discovery of Coal by the colonialists in the early 20th century. As a result of the economic activities, it became an urban centre with intersections of multiple ethnic nationalities, primarily from southeast Nigeria. This background framed the beginning of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT).
In the simple dictionary definition, an intersection is “a point at which two or more things intersect” (Oxford). Many traditional African cultures consider road intersections a vital point of spiritual or physical relevance. This is because it is the point where paths cross, or the point where roads converge, and the point where roads diverge. Such junctions assume some importance. Similarly, art schools are significant as they are points where various art ideologies converge and diverge.
At its inception in 1973, IMT Enugu Art School became a point of intersection of different layers. The first layer became a point where different cultural philosophies intersect due to the multi-cultural crossroads. On the second layer, it was a point where different art ideologies intersect. Pioneer lecturers and Instructors had different artistic background orientations. Lecturers were primarily from the Nsukka School, Zaria School, and the Yaba School. At that point in history, modern Nigerian art was experiencing a radical rebirth. The ideological revolution engineered by a group of graduates of Zaria School, tagged “Zaria Rebels,” was spreading through art schools around the nation. Art schools began to redefine their stylistic ideologies and their conceptual framework. Consequently, when Lecturers from these three schools, with their diverse ideologies, started the IMT School, it was a confluence of intersections. The birth of a new school with a different orientation emerged.
Thus, IMT School became a place of experimentation with a divergent stylistic ideology. This new ideology was a step away from the famous, unified ideological identity. The divergence of ideological approaches and experimentation continued in the 1980s and 1990s when additional lecturers, yet from various backgrounds, were added to the School’s graduates who had become lecturers. This addition pushed further the intersection of ideas.
This exhibition presents intersections of streams of graduates of the Enugu Art School divided along a historical timeline. Having these blocks of time enables one to see the developmental trends of the School as well as the intersections between each historic block. Therefore, four historic blocks were identified to project “IMT Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” The first group is the School’s earliest graduates, between 1973 -1982. They are represented by Chike Nwaka, Chris Afuba, Tony Umunna, Bona Ezeudu, Obiora Anidi and others. The second block graduated between 1983 and 1992, including Cyril Nwokoli, Obi Ekenchi, Innocent Okoye, Eddy Okolo, Maria Mbelu, and Fide Udenta. The third block from 1993- 2007, features Harold Ekpelebe, Uche Chima Joel, Uloma Asiegbu, klint Afam Igwemba (Klint da Drunk), Amaka Chime, Samuel Maduike and others. While the fourth block includes those who graduated after the School relocated to the current location within IMT Campus III, 2008 to 2020. They include Okechukeu Eze, Valentine Ani, Praise Edwards, Chinedu Ogakwu, Nnamdi Udoka, Chineye Eze, Stephen Eboh, Onyinye Ezennia, Ifedili Chibuike, Melford Odo, to mention just a few.
The scope of this exhibition is to have representation of products of the School across the board; therefore, a total of sixty professionals were selected based on participation in professional exhibitions. Added to the selected artists, as an honor, are a few of the graduates who professionally impacted others but are no longer with us on this side of the divide. The curatorial team is aware of many other distinguished professionals who could not be reached to participate in this exhibition for the reason of time and distance. Notwithstanding, the works in this exhibition are an overview of the stylistic tendencies of the IMT School of Art.
It may be challenging to stereotype the Enugu School with a particular cultural context; at the same time, it is not possible to box it within any specific stylistic ideology. The School sits nicely in the sphere of experimentation and the intersection of ideologies and culture. This, the exhibition reveals in its entirety.
The exhibition tagged, Art Fair Enugu organized by National Gallery of Art in collaboration with IMT, opened on February 17, 2022, will remain open till March 17, 2022 at the International Conference Centre, IMT Campus 111, Enugu.
•Dr Adewunmi is the Head of Department of Graphic Design at the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu.
