Rethinking Onobrakpeya: The Need to Create New Horizons in the Study of the Art and Life of Bruce Onobrakpeya,One of the Greatest Artists in the World

[Oluwatoyin Adepoju]

           Rethinking Onobrakpeya 

The Need to Create New Horizons in the Study of the Art and Life of Bruce Onobrakpeya,One of the Greatest Artists in the World

Bruce Onobrakpeya at his house in Mushin, Lagos

From  " At 91, Nigerian artist who reimagined the crucifixion is celebrated at Smithsonian", https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2024/06/20/g-s1-5439/smithsonian-nigerian-artist-crucifixion-bruce-onobrakpeya

        Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju 

                        Compcros

Bruce Onobrakpeya is one of the greatest artists in the world.

He is comparable to Michelangelo Buonarotti,the greatest Christian artist and one of the greatest of all time.

Onobrakpeya's creativity demonstrates a comparable  cosmological range in exploring Urhobo thought and art in dialogue with a broad range of reference.

Onobrakpeya has been significantly studied and a significant number of books on his works have been published.

I'm convinced, however, that Onobrakpeya scholarship is at a foundational level which needs to be built upon to reach higher levels.

His work is so intricate, it could require a small book at least to adequately address each one of some of those works.

Its also sad that most of the books on his work were funded by his gallery.

Its also true that there need to be more books on Onobrakpeya produced at the highest quality of production available today, as evidenced by books on his younger colleague in Nigerian art,  El Anatsui, such the latest titled El Anatsui:The Reinvention of Sculpture.

Onobrakpeya has done well by carrying the task of being the driving force behind most of the books on him, such as the iconic Spirit in Ascent but printing technology has moved far beyond even the power evident in such books.

What will it take to escalate publications on Onobrakpeya to the level of detail,  range and consistent production quality  required to manifest its awesome scale,  detail and magical technical dexterity?

I am moved to write these reflections right now as I go through my photo album containing pictures by Ophori Israel  and myself of Onobrakpeya's awesome Akporode installation in his Agbarha-Otor gallery in Ughelli North local government of Delta State, his natal home:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SbsAWyiaCCUUQhRNA

This album is the only extensive image collection of pictures and videos of this astonishing work, representing the fruits of twenty years of work on the artist's part.

The only person I am aware of- there could be others- who has written on this work is Philomena Ofuafo from whose paper its made clear that "Akporode" is an Urhobo word which could be interpreted as " the vast and mysterious universe", the installation's complex harmony and variegated beauty evoking the multifaceted grandeur of cosmos, within which the pillars defining the installation space evoke the Urhobo pillar symbol for aspiration to Oghene, the creator of the universe, projecting the character of the installation as " a prayer to  for divine guidance towards divine greatness"; as the artist describes the work in an explanatory note on the installation's wall.

Inspired by those expansive ideas and their projection through the masterly beauty of the work, I have composed and published online three essays which could collectively amount to twenty thousand words striving to examine every aspect of the installation, its immediate significance and its evocative force,but looking at the images in the album, I realize I still have a significant distance to go in terms of attention to the sheer scope of multifarious detail marshalled in that construct.

A great thing is a great thing.