Artist Spotlight: 5 Questions with Sani

Artist Spotlight: 5 Questions with Sani

1) How would you describe your artistic style?

"I would describe myself as a contemporary visual artist who use a variety of materials to create art with three major task in mind 1st to teach about myself and my heritage, 2nd to teach the audience about themselves and finally to push creativity".

 

2) Do you have any major artistic influences for your work?

"I am highly sensitive to knowledge in my opinion so I draw influence from artist that where also in love of the search and sharing of knowledge while being aesthetically different from most of my influences the likes of Picasso in his commitment and constant push to create, or Da Vinci in the way his work was just as scientific as it was artistic and his resourcefulness as well as Kaws and Yinka Shonibare in their ability to be commercially successful but true to the art and Fela Kuti’s fearlessness. And of cause the audacity and belief of Basquiat or even a Kanye West the list goes on to be honest".

 

3) Tell me about these 4 pieces. How do they relate to the geography of Nigeria and your family background? What is the importance of  capturing Nigeria while living in London?

"The first is a self portrait highlighting the culture of my mum who comes from Edo Benin, and in the background turban guys that represent my fathers Hausa Fulani culture".

 


 


"The second is again turban guys on a horse riding through London the painting is a metaphor for myself experiencing London culture seen through the eyes of myself".

"The third is a painting of a young boy again as a representation of myself in traditional attire smiling and this is in reference to my tendency to smile through everything and come from a country like Nigeria with so much hardship I find interesting how much humour and happiness still exists in the land".



"Finally the fourth painting it is an image of a sad young boy covers in Ankara print steering directly at the viewer the painting was created in response to the fear and panic when covid hit".

 

"For me the visual representation of my people gives me the opportunity to teach about my culture and diversity of “black people” and in a lot of ways breaks the border between Nigerians and Nigerians abroad, and even though my artwork ultimately speaks on the human experience, using Nigerian characters and imagery allows national pride, education, connection and so much more that’s why it’s important to me".
 

4) Peckham is known as a major culturally diverse area in London with a large Nigeria  and Caribbean diaspora. Did living in this part of London with many first and second generation immigrants help your artistic expression in any way?

 

"Yes because everyone is really a product of their environment. So for me it was helpful because we grow up under a banner of a united black front in the scene that we all come from family’s who mostly identify as whichever culture and country they came from but for my generation black British culture presented a rich mixture of African and Caribbean decent in a country primarily caucasian and see us for the most part as “Black” and it’s both good and bad but ultimately it means I grow up learning about other “Black Cultures” and using words like "wagwarn" as part of my vocabulary but having audacity and rights as a born British citizen in comparison to some of our parents".


 

5) What stories, viewpoints experiences do you like to express in your art? What’s the importance of telling diasporic stories?

"I generally create social commentary in regards to my art and generally tell humans stories relatable to and human being from any region of the world but the importance of telling stories from Diaspora is because that’s my personal story I feel just as much British as I feel Nigerian and so I try reflect this unique experience in my art".

Peckham - Wikipedia

 

 

 

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