Jefferson Jonahan’s exhibition titled State of Inertia will open to the public from October 22 to November 4 at the Omenka Gallery, Ikoyi. The artist who is fascinated by pastel and works in vibrant colours, took a turn to noirs to give his work “a different feel” and reinforce the “basics- drawing”, which he asserts has been abandoned by a lot of our artists.
“Today, in our art community, drawing is dying and many artists are losing hold of what ultimately should be the basic ingredient in their creative process.”
This show explores man in an unconscious state of mind as a metaphor for the sleepy state of several sectors of the Nigerian economy including security, transportation, education and health. Amongst the paintings on display is The Hopeful, a drawing of a female head on a base inclined towards the heavens. She seems hopeful and expectant as though waiting for a change in her fortune. Jonahan reduces her to a mere sculptural piece, representing her as if he could envisage her thoughts through her “physical still-expression” and focus on life’s challenges.
Jefferson Jonahan was born in May 1970. He started drawing from comic books when he was eight years old in primary school. He studied Basic Art at the School of Art and Design at the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi in Edo State and has been a full–time studio artist since 1994. He had his first solo exhibition in 2002 and his paintings are in several important collections in Nigeria and abroad. Jonahan lives and works in Lagos. He is a member of the Society of Nigerian Artists and the Art Zero Group of Artists.