A Paper Presented at the Symposium, Nigerian Art at the end of the Millennium,
organised by the National Gallery of Art at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria,
November 9-12, 1998

By C. Krydz Ikwuemesi & Ayo Adewunmi

INTRODUCTION
The word, cooperative, is a term which originated in the history of production and distribution of goods out of the need by producers and consumers to eliminate a common nuisance, the middleman. Its etymology (from the Latin cooperari or cooperatus) revolves around the virtues of concert or team work with the aim of attaining a common goal.
 

Art puritans or even the average artist may frown at the introduction of such a commerce-oriented concept into art discourse, but the history of art at various points tells of such coming together by artists in the need to foster some ideological, professional, or even commercial goals. One must hasten to caution, though that the mention of the word “commercial” vis-a-vis the artist should not be seen as an anomaly, since experience shows that in spite of the unending debate on the dangers of commercialism in the creative process, it is not possible to strictly sever art from commerce. Art, and, indeed, the creative process, have been likened to production which, to the economist, is never complete until the goods reach the final consumer. In the same manner, art appreciation and patronage complement and complete the creative process. It follows, therefore, that while some art cooperatives in the history of art were necessitated by professional and ideological needs, others were engendered by extra-artistic needs.

In the Western world most of the groupings which one can refer to as art cooperatives usually came into being on purely professional grounds, either to serve as fora for mutual interaction among artists or to advance new ideological convictions. There are the Royal Watercolour Society and the Institute of Painters in Watercolour, for instance, in the U.K., which were founded to promote the cause of watercolour and that of artists who employ it in their work. There are other cooperatives in the west catering for other specialities, including drawing. Such communes of artists are very widespread in Europe and America with some of them dating back to decades or even centuries. Down here in Africa, there are few examples.

The Chapungu Sculpture Park and the Tensgenenge Artists Community both in Zimbabwe can be mentioned. In Ivory Coast, there is La Groupe Vohuvohou.
From the ideological angle such groups as the Impressionists, the Fauves, Dada, and other well-knit art societies quickly come into focus. Although they have been classified as “movements”, these groups are in certain respects no different, in their conception and goal, from the run-off-the-mill cooperatives that operate outside the sphere of art. This is especially so when one considers that beyond the articulation of ideologies, the groups, especially the Impressionists, often held exhibitions or published journals in which they tried to popularise their ideas about art and life1. Perhaps, to uphold the much-vaunted sanctity of art, we may refer to these societies or movements as “specialised cooperatives”. But then crucial question arises. Are they really specialised? If cooperatives function along the need-goal logic, why should the artists’ societies be singled out as ‘specialised’? When they contrive what we call “movements” or societies, do they not do so within the parameters of certain needs and goals? Is the artist a “special” being that can operate outside the bounds of society?

Certainly not. In spite of the immeasurable merits of individuation, which is one of the legacies of modernism and postmodernism, contemporary artists still need some degree of cooperative at certain points in history to promote the cause of art. This is especially the case in environments where conditions for living and working have become very harsh or where there are little or no public funds to support the work of artists. To a large extent, Nigeria is a classic exemplar of both scenarios.
 

The aim of this study, therefore, is to detach the Nigerian artist from the ivory-tower concept of art (which of course is very costly is these parts) and situate him right in his community in an attempt to examine how he has grappled with the stunning realities and the daunting challenges of his environment.

The Birth and Development of Art Cooperative in Nigeria.
The emergence of art cooperative in Nigeria could be traced to the late 1950s when Ulli Beier, having arrived Nigeria in 1950 in the company of Suzanne Wegner, set up the Oshogbo School and the Mbari Club at Oshogbo and Ibadan respectively. Although the Oshobgo experiment projected, more or less, Beier’s personal aesthetic principles,2 there is no doubt that the artists found the project to be a veritable means of not only espousing what Wegner, or later Georgina Beier,3 had passed on to them at workshop sessions, but also as a forum for sharing ideas among themselves. The school’s cooperative nature is also underlined by the fact that funds were provided for artists mainly through Ulli Beier and there was a tendency to propagate certain artistic ideas. Although it could be argued that Oshogbo’s “cooperativeness” was largely undermined by Ulli Beier’s over-bearing influence and his monopoly of the power to decide who became a member of the school, the fact that the members were made to appreciate the need to work together in the promotion of some common creative and professional goals invokes the cooperari spirit and thus it is impossible to ignore the group in a study like this.
 

At the Mbari Club at Ibadan, however, the situation was different. Although Beier played prominent role there, it was more of a meeting of creative minds seeking to address some common challenges. Regular meetings were organised during which professional issues came up for discussion. A part from promoting the work of some of its members, Uche Okeke and Demas Nwoko, for example, the club also published books by some of its members4. The path-finding journal, Black Orpheus, edited by Ulli Beier, was also published by Mbari. It remains to dat, a significant landmark in the propagation of Nigeria art.

Before Oshogbo and Mbari, a group of students, now christened the Zaria Rebels, formed the Zaria Art Society at the then Nigerian College of Arts and Science, NCAST (Now Ahmadu Bello University). One would have expected that the chronicling f art cooperatives in Nigeria should start there. But the association apparently did not go beyond meetings where the issues of identity and the decolonisation of Nigerian artistic thought were no exhibitions or publications in which the “rebellion” was commonly demonstrated or propagated. In other words, the Zaria Art Society only quietly challenged the stylistic status quo, which at that time was glaringly fashioned after Euro-American academism. Apart from offering members a regular opportunity to discuss what they believed in, the society failed to transform into a major group with the ability to advance the common cause and individual aspirations of members. For this reason it does not merit serious study here, that is, within the bounds of the theme of this study. The same goes for the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) which, though, is a major group, cannot be discussed here due to its nature as a “professional body” and the fact that is not clearly knit. Unlike the S.N.A., which is almost a hydra-headed creature, a cooperative should have fewer membership. Oshogbo and Mbari were more practical in their activities and therefore, represent a good starting point. But after them, there seems to have been a lacuna that was to be broken by the birth of the Aka Circle of Artists in 1986.

Comprising mainly second-generation artists, Aka in the early years had 13 members including 6 painters, 4 sculptors, 3 ceramists and a textile designer. It was later toadmit some two new members in 19965. It was founded with the hope that it “would grow imto a major art event, one that the public would look forward to every year”. With eleven years of successful annual exhibits to its credit (1986-1996) and an array of highly successful artists, it could be said that Aka did not only succeed in its mission but also became a major cooperative, a virile forum for promoting the cause of members as well as that art in general.

It is not known how Aka came about or who founded it. Although its maiden meeting was held at Nsukka at the university residence of the renowned African sculptor, El Anatsui, it is believed that the painting maestro Obiora Udechukwu played a leading role in the birth of the group. Aka drew its strength and inspiration not only from the etymology of its name (the Igbo word for hand), but also from the significations of that word. In Igbo cosmology, the hand with its varied finger-sizes, reflects the inequality and individuality of people and things. Just as the hand operates better when the fingers are intact and in concert, so also do people when they are confronted with common needs and challenges, hence the Igbo saying that Aka Weta, Aka Weta, Ukpa Eju (the basket fills when many hands contribute to it). This obviously alli\udes to the virtue of cooperation and paints a vivid picture of the raison d’etre and growth of the Aka group in its eleven years of existence.6

Like the human hand, Aka’s membership was characterised by inequality as it comprised the renowned and the obscure, the bold and timid, the successful and the unsuccessful, the rich and the poor. Thus the cooperation enjoyed by membres of the group was highly wrthwhile as it helped them not only to advance their professional interests and careers, but also to assail the winds of economic depression which swept through Nigeria in the 1980s and 1990s. Although Aka was not anchored on any centralising philosophy, it was a highly organised art cooperative whose major objective and success can be measured in its ability to make its members and their work better known in Nigerian art circles.

The next cooperative that comes to mind after Aka is the Visual Orchestra founded also at Nsukka in 1989. Since 1990 it has held a total of 7 exhibitions. Although it is at times viewed as a reaction to Aka, and in spite of the fact that most of its members were formerly students of Aka artists,7 The Visual Orchestra has been able to develop along its own lines. Although unlike Aka it has suffered loss and fluctuation of membership, its centralising aims and objectives are similar to those of Aka.8

Two other groups which merit discussion are the Pan-African Circle of Artists (Nigeria-Council) and the Art-in-African Project founded in 1991 and 1996 respectively. While PACA-Nigeria9 sets itself the tasK of promoting the work of its members and other contemporary artists through exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and conferences, the Art-in-Africa Project, under the directorship of the young poet and art commentator Emeka Agbayi, has made considerable efforts to promote and encourage “new talents” in the visual and literary arts.10 In their yet relatively short existence they have exhibited a good measure of cooperari principles in their efforts to keep several artists alive professionally while also contributing to the growth and professionalisation of art in Nigeria.

There is also another group, the Ife artists more commonly known as the Best of Ife. It held its maiden exhibit in 1993 and since then, according to Don Akatakpo, a member, “the organisers have tried as much as possible to make it a yearly ritual despite all odds.”11 As its name implies, it is made up art graduates of the University of Ife12 and one’s reading of its principal goal, judging from the statements inits 1997 catalogue, is that it seeks to enhance a better appreciation of the philosophy, if any, of Ife “school” and its products.

As a parallel to this, one can also mention the Eye Society which was inaugurated in 1989, “primarily to project the visual art as an instrument of development in our society”.13 Its membership includes Jerrry Buhari, Matt Ehizele, Jacob Jari, Tonie Okpe and, until 1995, Gani Odutokun.14 Among some other activities, the Eye Society is known for its journal, The Eye, which made its debut in December 1992. Using the journal as a rallying point (although the journal appears to be fizzling out in recent years), the society has been able to galvanise artistic thought among its members and other art blocs in the country.

Along this very time, mention must also be nade of the Art and Artists Conference Forum (A.A.C.F.) which was engineered by Obiora udechukwu in collaboration with other artists of Nsukka Extract 1992. Besides its practical involveemnt in the restrospective exhibitions marking the 60th birthdays of Bruce Owobrakpeya (1992) and Uche Okeke (1993), the A.A.C.F. was the convener of the 2nd International Conference on Contemporary Nigerian Art held in Lagos in April 1993.15 Although there are reasons to indicate that the group is still very much in existence, it appears to be dwindling in the face of the absence of its major moving spirit, Obiora Udechukwu.

Apart from these major cooperatives there have been other ones, some of them obscure. There was Nonogh in the late 1980s founded by graduate art students of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. It had as members as Best Ochigbo, Kenny Badaru and a number of their peers. Zaria, between 1989 and 1992, also saw the emergence of Images, a group comprising mainly art undergraduates who organised annual exhibitions alongside other activities.15 Its members included Ayo Adewunmi, Ayo Oguntuyi, Bola Giwa, among others. It must be noted here, though, that this is not the first time art students of Zaria would come together to promote their common interests. Although the study partly excludes the Zaria Art Society and other groups mentioned above, mention must be made of Egghead, a magazine organised by students of Zaria in 1963.16 Egghead as a publishing project must be considered a veritable art cooperative which served as a springboard for launching some of the student-participants to higher responsibilities and achievements and it directly or remotely helped in establishing the high artistic standards for which the school is known toady.

In the South-east of Nigeria less well-known groups have also waxed and waned. A good example is Omenka founded in 1989 by the Nigerian ceramist Okpan Oyeoku. It held its maiden exhibit at the Press Centre in Enugu in December 1989 and has remained moribund ever since. Another flash in the pan is Echoes, a student art cooperative, led by Ifeanacho Aguwa and Emeka Opara, which failed to go beyond its maiden exhibit held at the University of Nigeria in 1994. The Sculptors’ Guild of Nigeria (SGN) whose members included Okay Ikenegbu, El Anatsui, Chijioke Onuora, Chris Afuba, Obiora Anidi and other sculptors also went the same way after its 1991 open air exhibition in Enugu and its maiden auction the following year. Also recently - in 1995, to be precise - agroup known as Okanga was founded by artists of Enugu State origin with the sculptor Obiora Anidi as Chairman. So far, it held two exhibitions (1995 and 1997) and one symposium (1997).

Of all, the group which seems to be the most recent art cooperative is the Angala Artists16 based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Although “the name is adopted from the Mangrove tree Rhizophara... common among the inhabitants and peoples of the Niger/Delta Communities,” it comprises some eleven artists of diverse backgrounds living in Rivers State and working in various media. Although to a scholar searching for harmony the make-up of the Angala cooperative would appear like the marriage of strange bed-fellows in terms of vision, style, and background, its maiden exhibit held recently in Port Harcourt received a kind of support and goodwill that is rare in the Nigerian art arena.17

With the foregoing sketch on the birth and nature of cooperatives the questions logically follow, do (Nigeria) artists need cooperatives to succeed in their profession? How has art cooperatives in Nigeria grappled with the almost strangulating politico-economic challenges of the environment? It is to these questions that the study now turns.

THE ROLE AND IMPLICATIONS OF ART COOPERATIVES IN A DEVELOPING ART TRADITION: THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE.
It has been pointed out that art cooperatives could arise out of ideological, professional or economic needs on the part of artists. In Nigeria with the exception of Oshobgo, other groups seem to have been the children of professional cum economic needs. Having pointed out that art, especially its practice, cannot be separated from economics, it is not surprising, therefore, that with the exception of a few, most of these art cooperatives have their unifying purpose, exhibitions, auctions or fairs as the case may be. Exhibitions, as it were, are double-edged swords, which at once cut through the professional and economic fabrics of art. While generating funds for the artist through patronage and other means, exhibitions have the potential also to create awareness for the artist, his oeuvres, as well as the tradition to which he belongs. Not only that, they inspire art critiques and criticism from which the historian of art sources his narratives. In other words, exhibitions are a virle means of art professionalisation and propagation, especially when well-organised and documented. Little wonder it is a major activity among art cooperatives in Nigeria.

The reason for this preponderate interest in exhibition may be the same very ones responsible for the rise of art cooperatives in Nigerian landscape in the first place. Chief among these is the harsh economic condition which beclouded Nigeria since the mid-eighties. With this situation it became increasingly difficult for the artist to really operate at a fully professional level. It is a fact of history that the production and dissemination of art erquires enormous funds and that for the artist to operate at full capacity, he must be free from want, social insecurity, and politico-economic instabilityt. Even those artists who claim to perform better in times of crisis would agree that to be able to do so, they would require adequate funding and some degree of insularity from the same crisis that would fire their imagination and inspire their work. In Nigeria, however, in the face of the unconducive economic condotions, the artists is neither insulated nor adequately funded. With little or no recognition by society of his place (in society) he becomes a hydra-headed creature, running the risk of anonynity. The formation of cooperatives thus becomes a possible way of minimising the burdens of art professionalism.

Of course it is not only artists that are in this problematic situation. Living conditions in Nigeria have dwindled generally, and until it improves considerably, the production and appreciation of art may remain on the down-grade in spite of a rare resilience which characterises art practice in the country. As Ottenberg succinctly put it, “in Nigeria, ... artists’ lives are often somewhat enclosed because of conditions in the country and their preocuupation with coping with daily living”18 This is not a blanket judgement, as there are artists in Nigeria who manage to rise above the difficulties. These are usually those who have connection with foreign agencies, grants and exhibition halls in Europe and America. A few others are able to get by through personal funding. But in spite of such individual successes, a grossly monetised economy, with the attendant survival-of-the-fittest syndrome, is bound to overwhelm the artist at one moment or another. The art cooperative thus provides the artist the handle with which to deal with the rather corosive realities of the Nigerian environment.

Take some of the above-mentioned art cooperatives, for instance, some of their members would not have been known if not for their involvement in the groups’ activities. In Aka, about two out of the members have never held solo exhibits; some members last held a solo more than ten years ago. It is even worse in other groups such as the Visual Orchestra where most members have not exhibited outside the cooperatives’s annual exhibitions. Many reasons may be responsible for this. But the ones which merit mention here is the high cost of exhibitions in Nigeria and the very low patronage whether or not they are receiving grants. The art cooperative reduces the risk of the individual artist and thus becomes a safer means of reaching the audience, especially when the highly policed halls of exhibitiomns in Nigeria are becoming too expensive.

Beyond exhibitions, art cooperatives also offer the artists the fora under which thay can occasionally discuss or address their common problems and aspirations. Symposia, workshops, conferences, and publications have proved to e even more virile means of disseminating art. It is, however, disheartening thar most art cooperatives in Nigeria have not done much along these lines probably because the art tradition (modern Nigeria art) is still relatively young and, perhaps, too, for the fact that most art schools in Nigeria do not adequately emphasise the theoretical aspect of art. Apart from PACA-Nigeria and the Art-in-Africa Project which have consistently organised symposia, workshops and conferences, and the Eye Society which publishes a journal, others are merely interested in the economics of art vis-a-vis their members’ needs. They thus rely on exhibitions as a means to achieving this end.

At this juncture it may be asked, what is the implications of cooperatives in an art tradition that is roughly seventy years? In this era when global art trends emphasise the individual above the collective as one can read from postmodernist thought, how does the art cooperative help the artist to fully discover himself and affirm his individuality? Although the gains of salutary interactions among creative minds cannot be over-emphasised, the artist at some point needs to assert his individual talent within the bonds of existing traditions. Most often, this is not easily attainable in the cooperative enterprise, hence some less assertive members remain mere fireflies, exhuding much fire but no heat. In other words, anonymity and passivity become the cheapest things of all.

Without doubt, this has a dangerous effect on the overall tradition. It is really not art cooperatives - the economic-oriented kinds that abound in Nigeria - that fertilize the art terrain for the growth of traditions. It is individual talents exploited according to certain patterns over time that can give birth to a traditon. This does not mean that there is no art tradition or traditions here in Nigeria. The point being made is that its/their growth could be hampered by the anonymity inherent in cooperative collectivity. Yet given the perculiarities of the Nigerian landscape as regards the production and dissemination of art, rather than discourage the formation of art cooperatives, what should be done is to ensure that they address with equal vigour, professional goals, as they do art economics. With the reality of Western-led internationalism and the amazing growth of cybermania, Nigerian artists should be equiped intellectually and otherwise to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The steppingstone to this situation may not be found in commerce-oriented art exhibitions and fairs alone, buit also in well-articulated conferences, workshops, etc., through which artists can appreciate their vocation better as well as acquaint themselves with global trends and patterns. For now, and for sometime to come, art cooperatives may still have to lead this shift in consciousness, but vigorus efforts must be nade to do so according the dictates of professionalism and without stiffling individualism, that is, the individual talent, which is the building block of art traditions.

CONCLUSION
Art cooperatives in Nigeria is a by-product of the colonial-heritage. It originated with the inception of “modern” Nigerian art in the precolonial and postcolonial era. From the 1980s onwards thay became a clever means of cornering the harsh socio-economic situation in the country; more and more artists saw the cooperative method as having the capacity to eliminate or, at least, minimise, the many risks and difficulties which define the practice of art in Nigeria. While some cooperatives concern themselves with art economics, others organise projects with purely professional goals.

But beyond their merits, art cooperatives can hamper the artist’s individual maturity as well as lead to the atomisation of the overall art tradition. Besides, in a highly monetised society like Nigeria, the tendency to encourage commercialism cannot be overlooked. This is one danger which art cooperatives in Nigeria would have to obviate if they are to remain relevant in 21st century with its abundant promise for a fuller integration of world cultures, arts and peolples.

Notes and References
1. The groups or “movements” cited here are mainly those that exhibited some level of organisation not only in their membership but also in their activities. For instance, Impressionism and Cubism are “movements”. But while the former can pass for a cooperative, given its exhibitions, the latter cannot for obvious reasons.

2. See C. Krydz Ikwuemesi, “From The Nigerian Teacher to The Eye: Journals and magazines in the Development of Contemporary Nigerian Art”. In Udechukwu and Okeke (eds.) Ezumezu: A Festschrieft for Demas Nwoko (under publication).

3. After Suzanne Wenger, Georgina was Ulli Beier’s second wife, like her predecessor, Georgina was an artist. See also Ikwuemesi, ibid.

4. See ikwuemesi, ibid, and Peter Benson 1994, Black Orpheus, Transition and Modern Cultural Awakening in Africa. Los Angeles: University of California Press.

5. The pioneer Aka members included Tayo Adenaike, El Anatsui, Chris Afuba, Obiora Anidi, Chike Aniakor, Chike Ebebe, Boniface Okafor, Chris Echeta, Bona Ezeudu, Samson Uchendu, Obiora Udechukwu, Ifediora Dike, and Nsikak Essien. In 1996, Chika Okeke and Tony Umunna were admitted to the group.

6. As at the time of this writing, the fate of Aka is not known. Its last exhibition was in 1996.

7. When the Visual Orchestra was founded at Nsukka in 1989, its members excepting one, were all students, and some of the Aka artists were teachers at their institutions, namely the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu.

8. When the Visual Orchestra began, it had four members: C. Krydz Ikwuemesi, Chile Oparaocha, Cajetan Nwokeji, and Victor Amaechi. In 1992, Victor Amaechi lost his membership, while other student-artists -- Chimezie Chuta, Ifeanacho Aguwa, Chukwujekwu Ozoihu, Frank Onyezia, Chuks Obiweluzor, and Amaechi Edozie -- became members. In 1993, while three new members, Soloo Akugha, Ben Abanifi, and Alex Nweze joined the group, Cajetan Nwokeji, Chuta and Aguwa withdrew. Again in 1996, Soloo Akugha and Amaechi withdrew, while Tony Umunna, (who also joined Aka in 1996), Obi Ekwenchi, Ifeanacho Aguwa (who left in 1993), Ayo Adewunmi, and Chijioke Onuora became members. Ekwenchi and Umunna left the club in 1997.

9. This refers to the Nigeria Council of the Pan-African Circle of Artists.

10. Between 1996 and 1998, the Art-in-Africa Project (AAP) held four exhibitions, several poetry reading sessions, and some coloquia. In addition to these, AAP is also administers the C. Krydz Ikwuemesi Prize for the Promotion of Drawing, the Pearls&Gold Prize for Drawing, and the C. Krydz Ikwuemesi Annual Peace Poster Prize. So far, it seems to be concerned with the promotion of the work of young artists, including students.

11. Don Akatakpo, “The Best of Ife ‘97: Reflections and Direction”, in Best of Ife ‘97 (exhibition catalogue) Lagos: Best of Ife 1997, P. 2.

12. For a comprehensive list of members/participants, see the exhibition catalogue cited above.
13. The Eye, Vol 1, no. 1, December 1992, p. 5.

14. Gani Odutokun died in a road disaster in 1995.

15. The first international conference on Contemporary Nigerian Art was convened by Uche okeke at Nsukka (University of Nigeria) in 1997.

16. Quality Magazine July 18, 1991 p. 26 and May 2, 1991, p. 26 carried reviews of some exhibitions by this young artists’ group.

17. According to Ikwuemesi, ibid, Egghead was originally published as AFAS Magazine; it was renamed Egghead in 1963. He opines that it is likely that magazine might have been inspired by the principles of the so-called Zaria rebels, although it flourished at a time he describes as “the post-radicalism period”.

18. See the Angala maiden exhibition catalogue, forms and symbols, 1998.

19. The exhibition enjoyed the generous support of Agip, John Holt, Willbros Nig. Ltd, among others.

20. Simon Ottenberg, 1997. New Traditions from Nigeria; Seven Artists of the Nsukka Group. Washington: the Smithsonian Institution Press, p. 7