Interview / D0723W by Osione Itegboje
After the first 2 sessions of D0723W - a series of live, off the cuff drawing sessions on Instagram Live, the multi-disciplinary artist Osione Itegboje caught up with 16/16’s creative director Tushar to chat about his inspiration, life and thoughts on the new directions that his work is taking.
You can catch these sessions every Thursday and Sunday till 8th August, 2023 by following Osione’s Instagram handle.
Acrylic and pastel on wood © Osione Itegboje
T: Tell me about D0723W.
O: When did art become art? You know, when did it become something elevated? Beyond something we used to decorate our space? A conduit for culture then a channel for ideas and back to something void of meaning, just activity. I’m attempting to connect with people online and give them a glimpse into my life. “Here’s me Drawing on Wood in July 2023 - D0723W”
T: I remember when I was first beginning to discover your work, I went to an exhibition you had at the I.AM.ISIGO Studio. What was it called again?
Images from VOLUME, 2017 © Osione Itegboje
O: The exhibition was titled “VOLUME.” I was experimenting with an assembly line method to create art following random 30 second sets with a team of people. The idea was to see what lines would emerge when one creates without thinking. Over a 5 day period, the process, which I termed AMP, produced 200+ A4 pieces, which we then used to cover the walls of I.AM.ISIGO. We installed a station for guests to try out AMP. It was a lot of fun.
T: I also remember that you encouraged people to use their non-dominant hand to “mark make” or “print make”. Why?
O: It’s like I said, “what lines emerge when you’re not thinking about it?” I think of art and the making of it as a partly spiritual out of body experience that everyone should get a taste of. Let go of your inhibitions by forcing yourself into a box. Draw a line for 30 seconds holding the pencil with your mouth. My mom thought the work was done by my son, Roland who was 3 at the time; I loved and hated it — there was so much of it, the night we installed I had nightmares, with all of the work flashing before my eyes endlessly!
T: When did the idea of drawing faces or doing portraits come about? Is there a history of portraiture in your family or early environment?
O: I mean art in the ordinary Nigerian home is a portrait of the patriarch and maybe one of the matriarch. And every special occasion, you’d be gifted a new portrait, by colleagues for a landmark birthday, family members for an anniversary. These portraits were usually life size drawings or oil paintings. One year my dad gifted my mom a really good one, and the next year she gifted him a really good one by the same artist. My parents moved homes not too long ago and my mom had me supervise the hanging of art around the house. I hung both their portraits at the top of the stairs to face each other. It’s like here, talk to yourselves! My real love for making work came from my grandpa’s home. I discovered many books and all my Aunty’s old drawings, paintings, and experiments. She never became an artist. She married an architect, and worked for the Guardian newspaper when we were growing up.
T: Would you say your portrait work is like painting from memory? Or do you think the faces appear to you in the tangled, layered mess of the canvas that you vomit on?
O: hahahahaha. It’s all portraits of me.
T: Some critics could say that you work brashly, not taking time to think about your subject matter. What would you say to this?
O: Gosh! Why so serious 🧐?
T: I agree with that sentiment. Is there anyone else - an artist from yore or a contemporary - that you know works similarly to you or with similar intentions? In short, is anyone inspiring you right now?
O: I spent some time with Native Maqari in Paris recently. He always jousts with me in public. But in private he really encourages me. And whenever he sees my work he celebrates it. Gives me a lot of confidence. His work is very hidden from the public view, but it’s so vast and multilayered and peppered with his personal history. Native has so many stories, he’s always talking, and you never hear the same story twice. One time in 2019, he insisted that we draw together on a torn open shopping bag and I felt so freed by the experience. He later gifted me his copy of “Jack London”.
Pen on paper © Osione Itegboje
T: Your drawings sometimes err on the sexual side. What are you trying to communicate with this? You often say that you want to “sleep” with everyone. Do you love everyone?
O: I think you mean “always”. I love the idea of intimacy. What’s more intimate than sleeping with someone? Sleeping with everyone! 🤣
T: How do you reconcile these feelings while being a really cool, connected to his children father?
O: Nothing to reconcile. My kids are my true loves! I love them unconditionally, whether I feel like it or not. I feel a strong sense of duty to them — to allow them blossom into the truest manifestations of themselves, while at the same time continuing to blossom into all that’s left for me to blossom into. I guess it’s all one big blossoming experience 🤣
