‘Unfinished Business’ echoes girl child dilemma in Nigeria

By SEGUN ODUNEWU

THE important issues of the girl child protection and other abuses against the girl child came on the front burner last week as Nigerian born international artist;  exhibited her latest works in a week long exhibition that draws the crème de la crème of the Nigerian art world in Lagos.

The collections, titled ‘Unfinished Business’, according to Chinze was intended to draw attention to the plights of the girl child. The artworks speak about the travails of the girl child in today’s society is subjected to different abuses right from adolescent to adulthood. It also talks about discordant tones among the political class as well as critical issues in the country.

One of her major piece on display depicts the image of little innocent girls with various facial and bodily expressions, expressing how oppressed the girl child in Nigeria’s society is, and also portraying their resiliency despite the many odds against them.

Chinze, as she is fondly called uses the works to communicate the plight of the girl child. The artworks brings to the fore the plight of young girls who suffer from preventable diseases like VVF as well as the current trend of kidnappings and forceful marriages of underage girls.

Another major artwork that was on display at the exhibition is titled “Life’s Journey” and it takes art lovers on a journey and tells the story of how every human being has a calling and that everybody are all wired in a certain way. “All that is needed is for each one of us as individuals to discover our calling and make the best of it,” Chinze said.

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“Chatting” is another one of her works on display. The work tells the story of youth’s obsession with technology. On display in this particular exhibition are two young ladies sitting together around a table with drinks but totally consumed with their iPad and iPod not realising that they are so close to each other but yet so faraway in thought.

One of the guests at the exhibition, Dakuku Peterside, Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA praised her for her use of colours to bring out the real African culture.

“In that place (artwork), she addressed a contemporary issue, a major challenge and the need for our political class to come together in pursuit of national interest. If you look on the work on social media, she was also addressing a contemporary social challenge. She is talking about interaction gap in the society. She was talking about the things that border us, the sheer challenge we have and that these days there is a new culture that needs to be addressed. A new culture where people go out they don’t talk or communicate. There is total communication gap,” he said.

Also commenting on the works, Cornel Agim, curator of the artwork said he was highly impressed about the paintings, and Chinze’s transformation from art painting to a more pronounced style with social values and concepts.

The artist whose husband, Mr. Tony Ojobo heads the Public Affairs Department at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said her husband who is also a lover of arts, has been a pillar to her.

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Mrs. Ojobo was honored by the Ministry of Arts and Culture, Los Angeles California in 2003. She designed and built two cinema halls and a lounge for the National Film and Video Censors Board and built and furnished the first Telecommunications Museum in Nigeria at the NCC in 2006. She has had over 40 arts exhibitions including six in Hollywood, Bulgaria and London among others.