The Curtain was finally drawn over the largest Art exhibition in South East, The Coal city Art exhibition 2018, which held from June 16 and ended on June 17th, packaged by GHills Entertainment.
June 16th is Day of the African Child and it was first established by the Organization of the African Unity in 1991. The day aims at raising awareness for the situation of children in Africa, and on the need for continuing improvement in education. It encourages people’s spirit of abundance to share something special with a child in Africa.
The coal city art exhibition in its third edition, acording to the curator and project custodian, Oarhe Ohis, is aimed at creating awareness to the poor living condition of many African child and the need for continuing improvement in Education.
Identifying the problems of the African child, Oarhe hinted that lack of Education, child labour and hunger are some of the major problems affecting the progress of the African child, adding that every African must begin to identify with children around them and encourage them to live a normal life.
Speaking on why the exhibition was concerned about the problem of chidren in Africa and how he intends to use entertainment and art to tackle the menace, Oarhe disclosed that the exhibition featured artworks from young, underground, unknown, selected artists and professionals across Nigeria to tell relatable stories that will evoke passion and sympathy.
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| Oarhe Ohis |
Three major problems THE AFRICAN CHILD faces include lack of Access to Education, Child Labor, and Child Hunger.
Coal City Art Exhibition 3rd edition, Themed: THE AFRICAN CHILD was used to raise awareness for the African Child both Male and Female, lack of access to education, child labor, hunger, and the girl child.
Project custodian, GHills Entertainment said the exhibition would use artworks from young, underground, unknown, selected artists and professionals from within and outside Enugu state (Nigeria at large) to identify and profer solutions to the challenges of The African Child
The 2-day exhibition featured paintings, drawings, hyper-realisms, mixed medias, textiles, sculptures and body paintings.
Below are some of the captivating artworks from 20 exhibiting artists, and other behind the camera captures:-
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| Less Hope © Zimmy Chuks |
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| Dysphoria © Nnadi Chukwuemeka |
Nnadi Chukwuemeka's drawing captured an African child in an unfriendly and harsh environment. The psychological state of children in this situation is that of unwellness, unhappiness, feeling of emotional and mental discomfort., the child sufffers from restlessness, malaise, depression or anxiety. What with that depressive and unhappy look on the child's face?
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| Better Days © Bee Khalifan |
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| (L-R) Kings Ndubuisi with exhibiting artist Marvelous Okafor |
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| Lost Heritage © Chibueze Stephen |
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| Flower Girl © Chinedum Nwankwo |
A look at Chinedum Nwankwo's 'Flower Girl' elicites that African feelings and experience one encounters while coming across things African. With rich, beautiful design patterns, and accentuating body painting, this truly expresses the typical traditional dressing of an African girl.
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| Ayo (Joy) © Paschal Anorue |
The African child is strong, energetic, lively, happy and moreover hopeful., despite the hardships and up and downs of everyday living, in a harsh environment.
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| A Taste © Marvelous Okafor |
One will not help but marvel at this charcoal on paper rendition by Okafor Marvelous. No wonder his name is Marvelous. Who will even believe that this is a mere drawing?! As hard as it is to believe, it is really a drawing, a hyper realistic one for that matter. 'A taste' is all about the pitiable situation of a child experiencing the pang of hunger. The hungry look in their face, the cry for food., and their weak health state all being put down on a 2D form. It elicites pity, as majority of hungry African kids are also malnourished. A beautiful and important work this really is, just picture the sorrowful state of hungry people., that they are able to hold up their plates asking for food is a miracle of its own. Hunger indeed kills. Feed the hungry.
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| (L-R) Exhibiting artist Paschal Anorue and Kings Ndubuisi |
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| At Paschal Anorue's corner |
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| Untold Stories © Chinedum Nwankwo |
What are the untold stories behind the fate of the street kids? Chinedum Nwankwo again tells it all in this drawing. From homelessness, hunger, lack of education, and other inumerable dangers.
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| Lost Culture © Njeze Onyemaechi |
" Our people has lost most of their cultural values, forgetting that from culture, you have science, and this drives you to technology. Africans has abandoned so much for petroleum. We're naturally endowed with lots of minerals. Before now, Nigeria generates plenty of revenues from Agriculture e.g Palm Oil, Groundnut, Cocoa etc, but we have abandoned them for Petroleum. About 35 years ago, Malaysians collected palm seedlings from Nigeria, and now 80% of red and vegetable oil we consume today, we import from Malaysia. Please let us go back to Agriculture "
_ Njeze Onyemaechi
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| African Child © Bee Khalifan Art |
The 'African Child' by Bee Khalifan really showed the state of an African child in an African environment. Many African children are subjected to child labour. They're given errands or chores too big for their age. They suffer enslaving maltreatments as most are made to work from dawn to dusk without rest, thus affecting their growth and health.
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| Purification © James Ogamba |
The portrayal of the cultural practices inherent in the Igbo race when a child is born, or when their is some kind of ritual ceremony over an infant child, is the message behind 'Purification' by James Ogamba. The Igbos no doubt value child dedication and protection, and James Ogamba's oil brush strokes expressed it. The surface picture shows a child being bathed, but what message is the painting telling? _ Child Cleansing.
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| Damsel in Distress © James Ogamba |
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| Behind a Graffitti exhibit |
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| In the midst of unripe © Onyibor Uchenna |
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| Ologede (Plantain boy) © Paschal Anorue |
When a child is subjected to some kind of abuse, we call that Child Abuse, right? Coming face to face with Paschal Anorue's canvas expression in oil, Ologede (plantain boy) instantly gives one that understanding of a young child subjected to hawking on the street. These children are deprived of education or going to school most of the time. At some other times, they're deprived of food or made to starve as a form of punishment. What about the dangers posed by this form of child abuse? Name them., rape, falling victim of kidnapping and so on. What a dangerous situation! Yet thousand of African children are roaming the streets everyday. Paschal Anorue indeed deserve accolades and commendation for a great piece, that so much portray the everyday picture of an African child hawking on the streets.
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| Young artist Samuel is also at the exhibition |
