In his presentation of a new body of works themed “Captured in time”, inspired by the 1966 Igbo novel Efuru – written by Flora Nwapa, regarded as the first novel to be published internationally by a Nigerian woman writer, Chukwuma presents works that speaks to the concept of identity.
Chukwuma explores Identity from various angles, from the testing of a new technique – an infusion of wood carving, block printing and painting on canvas; a mixed media/ mixed identity exploration, which he describes as a metaphor for the life of Efuru – an independent woman respected for her trading ability and longing to become a mother in the context of traditional Igbo society. Each block prints a reflection of itself – representing the duality of Efuru’s experience as she considers traditional Igbo values in the face of contemporary societal changes.
In particular, the work titled “ROPED” emancipates the identity crisis that Chukwuma seeks to highlight. It is a vivid visual description of the travails of any young woman growing in contemporary society under the tutelage of Igbo traditions and worldview. The 96 by 87 inches wood panel is a very bright and colorful work with tones of red and yellow complementing green and blues while black is used as a color defining the boundaries of shapes and figures, many of which are scattered across the painting. At the center of this piece is the form of a female figure caught in a web-like world, marked like ropes in black and red hue. There are colorful flowers and butterflies flying around the painting and these are usually synonymous with the female energy. The female figure has her right hand elevated towards her face with an ochre colored rectangle shaped object positioned on her face, covering some details of her face.
This object has the semblance of a mobile phone and the posture of the woman suggests she’s about to take a selfie. The element of modernity chosen by the artist and a metaphor for the modern confrontations of the younger generation. The mobile phone is both a tool for deviation from tradition and can be used to experience lost tradition depending on the side of the divide a person finds themselves. The absence of facial features is quite striking and presumably deliberate as the artist might have used the image to represent the experience of an average Igbo woman.
ROPED is an extension of Chukwuma’s metaphor capturing the challenges of an evolving worldview for any young growing lady being raised in contemporary times. She is caught in a web of ideas, emotions and opinions radiating towards her through her mobile phone from across the globe, while her immediate environment bears a differing worldview from her virtual experience. The web here is that she is roped in the inability to decide which identity to oblige and stand for. The web continues as she moves through life having to decide at each stage of her life; motherhood, parenting and values to pass down to the next generation. This is an allusion to the life of Efuru, the inspiration behind this piece.
By Guest Author
Prof. Krydz Ikwuemesi
