TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE COMMONPLACE IN EVA OBODO’S SCULPTURES, 1997 – 2015

ABSTRACT

The  transformation  of  commonplace  objects  into  art  is  a  creative strategy popularized in Western art by Marcel Duchamp and explored in different dimensions by artists worldwide. In the art department of the University  of  Nigeria,  Nsukka,  this  trend  was  made  popular  by the Ghanaian artist El Anatsui who taught there for many years. Eva Obodo, a pupil of Anatsui, has constantly transformed commonplace materials into art by multiplying simple elements into a monumental whole. This study attempts to examine his sculptures in terms of how Obodo has succeeded in creating his own personal style from what appears to be a new group style characterizing the works of many younger artists associated  with  Nsukka  today.  In  doing  this,  this  study  adopts  a historical and analytical approach in its examination of the development of Eva Obodo’s studio practice from 1990 till date. It finds that Obodo has been restless in his studio inquiry, leading to an ever shifting technique   and   style,   all   tied   together   by   his   constant   use   of commonplace  materials and his deployment  of modular elements for intricately organized works. By studying these developments in the light of the work of a community of artists connected to Nsukka, this study opens discussion on the emergence  of a new kind of Nsukka Group outside  of  the  discursive  frame  adopted  by Simon  Ottenberg  in  his examination of the uli aesthetic that once defined much of Nsukka art.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Global trends in contemporary art have redefined the use of media and techniques of artistic production. Various artists around the globe have experimented  with  different  unconventional  media  and,  in  the  process, blurred the lines between art genres. For example,in 1915Marcel Duchamp pioneered  the  transformation  of a  commonplace  object  (a  “ready-made” urinary, see Figure 2.1) into an “art object”. Similarly, the idea of putting “rubbish” into the ways of art was a well-establishedpractice in Picasso’s collages,a creative strategy that also characterised the “junk art” of the post- World War II period. These examples provide a background for understandingthe sense in which this research project uses the concept or idea of the “transformations of the commonplace” in the examination of the sculptures of Eva Obodo, an Nsukka-based sculptor who relies heavily on found objects and discarded materials for his creative practice.

In the African environment in which Eva Obodo works, repurposing objects is an ever-present element of life and resourcefulness. Here, empty plastic and glass bottles are reused as containers for cooking oil, kerosene, etc. while local tinkers transform empty cans into various objects like travelling  boxes,  poultry  feeding  troughs  and  other  household  utensils.

Although  it has been  suggested  that this can  be understood in  terms  of recycling, which is linked to a presumed scarcity of resources in Africa, artists such as El Anatsui, according to Charles Gore, have rejected such prepositions and argued that like all artists, they “transform” commonplace materials to create artworks with new contexts of ideas and practices.1

Similarly, the multiplication of single elements to create monumental artworks,  which  is  explored  by  Eva  Obodo  to  transform  commonplace objects into art, has been a creative mode explored by artists. This mode of expression appears to have been popularised in Western art byConstantinBrâncuși’s1918  work entitled  Endless  Column. Also,  in the 1950s and 1960s when the Modular Constructivism style emerged, Erwin Hauer and Norman Carlberg employed what canbe called the principle of Igwebu Ike(an Igbo maxim that means “majority/multiplicity is strength”) in their works. This principle was also employed by Andy Warhol in his popular works 100 Cans and Marilyn Diptych,both produced in 1962.

In Nigeria, the concept of Igwebuikeas a creative strategy (characterised by the multiplication of simple elements/objects into monumental artworks) has become  the  trademark of the  Ghanaian-born, Nsukka-based artist, El Anatsui who has had tremendous influence on recent art from the Nsukka art department of the University of Nigeria. Anatsui’s multiplication of modular elements through the design principle of repetition is a fundamental creative principle that has characterized recent art from Nsukka. This trademark has been appropriated by several younger artists associated with the Nsukka art department. Among them is Eva Obodo.

Eva Obodo lives and works in the University town of Nsukka, where he  was also  trained under the renowned  sculptor El Anatsui. While  the Nsukka Art Department  is almost synonymous with  uli, a traditional art of wall and body decoration which lays emphasis on the poetic use of line, space and economy of means, it would appear that recent developments in Nsukka art has not been fully examined. One of these developments, which is the focus of this study, is the use of a multiplication of found materials in the making of sculptures and installations. The development of this creative strategy owes much to the experiments of El Anatsui who can be regarded as the flagship of Nsukka art. Among all of Anatsui’s students and admirers, Eva Obodo appears to be one of those who continue to research both hard and soft media, derived largely from detritus, in his engagement with experimental  sculpture forms. A full insight into his creative  modes can provide   an   important   vista   into   the   emerging   stylistic   currents   in contemporary art from Nsukka.

Statement of the Problem

There is as yet little scholarly information available on Eva Obodo’s experiments with materials and forms and how these have led into his many

stylistic  shifts  since  completing  an  MFA  degree  in  sculpture  under  El

Anatsui in 1996.

In other words, this study engages with the key questions of how Eva Obodo selects and transforms commonplace  objects and materials into sculpture forms and how his shifts in media and techniques have shaped his styles, as well as how he multiplies single units/elements of commonplace materials to create meaningful artworks. This study also seeks to examine Obodo’s place in what appears to be a new group style emerging from Nsukka.

Objectives of the Study

The general objective of this study is to examine the transformations of commonplace materials and objects in the sculptures and installations of Eva Obodo. Its specific objectives are to:

1.  Study Eva Obodo’s experiments with materials and forms and how these have led into his many stylistic shifts since completing an MFA degree in sculpture under El Anatsui in 1996.

2.  Provide answers to questions of how Eva Obodo selects and  transforms commonplace objects and materials into sculpture forms.

3.  Examine Obodo’s place in what appears to be a new group style emerging from Nsukka.

Limitations of the Study

In the course of the research, it was discovered that some key works of Eva Obodo are in private collections outside Nsukka (whch were not readily accessible) and the researcher had to rely on the images of such works for his analysis. Also El Anatsui, a key figure in the study, was not available for a personal interview, forcing the researcher to rely heavily on existing information from the numerous published materials on him. Since the study demanded a critical analysis of Anatsui’s recent “metal cloths”, which were difficult to access since they are not in exhibition anywhere in Nigeria, the researcher relied heavily on pictures of the works in books and exhibition catalogues.

Significance of the Study

Being the first detailed documentation of Eva Obodo’s works and a broad look at the different compartments of his art practice and the interrelationships  between  them,  this study brings his practice  to critical limelight. It also fills existing gaps in the study of El Anatsui’s influence on his students and provides new knowledge on the shifting stylistic directions of the Nsukka art school.

This study also provides an important take off point for anyone that may wish to research further on issues of multiplication of small units of

repurposes materials for large scale sculptures as seen in the works of a growing number of Nsukka-trained  sculptors  who are fascinated by that mode of artistic production.

Scope of the Study

The  study  is  focused  on  the  works  of  Eva  Obodo  from 1999  to present.  It pays  cursory attention  to  the  works of other artists  from the Nsukka school especially El Anatsui. It is based on the formalistic analysis of selected art works and only draws attention to their conceptual underpinning where necessary.

Research Methodology

Library research has enabled this writer to select the theoretical and conceptual frameworks that have provided critical windows through which to  view the  works and  practice  of  Eva  Obodo.  It has also  provided  an understanding of the nature of artistic transformations by other artists as revealed through extant literature. In addition, studio visits to the artist and personal interviews with him, as well as focus group discussions with other artists,  have  been  useful  in  the  understanding  of  issues  related  to  the research problems and objectives. Technical and stylistic methods of data analysis  and  interpretation  have  been  employed  for  the  study  since  its central focus is an inquiry into Eva Obodo’s engagement with his materials and production techniques and how these lead to his stylistic developments.

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