Demas Nwoko
Encyclopedia
Demas Nwoko is a Nigerian artist
, protean designer
and architect
. As an artist, he strives to incorporate modern techniques in architecture
and stage design to enunciate the African subject matters in most of his works. In the 1960s, he was a member of the Mbari club of Ibadan
, a committee of burgeoning Nigerian and foreign artists. He was also a lecturer at the University of Ibadan
. In the 1970s, he was the publisher of the now defunct New Culture magazine.
Nwoko, sees design as an ingenuous activity that carries with it a focus on social responsibility for positive influences in the environment and culture of the society.
(King) Nwoko's brother. He grew up in Idumuje Ugboko appreciating the newly constructed architectural edifices in the town and in the palace of the Obi, his father. He went to study fine arts at the Zaria College of Arts, Science and Technology in 1956, a year after the college was moved from its original location in Ibadan
to Zaria
. In 1962, he received a scholarship from the Congress of Cultural Freedom to study at the Centre Français du Théâtre in Paris
where he learned scenic design.
Synthesis, a term coined by Uche Okeke to describe the combination of contemporary Western art techniques and African ideas, art forms, and themes.
. One was based on region
s as the foundation of the nation-state
and politicians used the regions as a stepping stone for political success, the other embraced the ideas that emanated from the early Nigerian Youth Movement
and the Zikist Movements to employ themes of Pan-Africanism
and to forgo the regions as the foundation of the future Nigerian polity
. In his art work, Nwoko moved slightly towards the latter. Nwoko's early sculpture and painting style were inspired by the findings at Nok
. A lot of his early sculptures and paintings can be described as one of extrapolation
. His terracotta's were designs that extended and expressed the art forms of the Ancient Nok with less deviation from an ancient African theme. This allowed the work to express less ambiguity and more clarity of intentions and to showcase a modern African art form.
s of the University of Ibadan's department of Drama
while he was also a lecturer at the university. While in the ancient city, he was sometimes short on cash and expenses to build or buy a house and studio for his work. He then decided to build his studio and house from traditional methods to complement his cash shortage. He used clay
and laterite
found around the site chosen and built a brick house and studio from the natural resources lying around.
His inventiveness in using modern and new techniques for selected and protean African art works led to his name being spread around town and in the country. Nwoko's first major architectural design was for a Dominican mission in Ibadan. After the nation's independence, some missions desired to decorate their churches with African motifs. He was originally approached to design a plaque
for a new chapel
but he later asked the Dominican fathers to help in designing a new chapel to be located in Ibadan. Although, his initial design was a little bit crude with the utilization of free-hand drawing, it was meant to accommodate local exigencies such as the sunny atmosphere in Ibadan. Usually, his designs were designed to have interior temperatures to be in contrast to the exterior temperatures at most times. His style was molded to fit into the temporal needs of African citizens in a given location.
Nwoko later went on to design more structures such as the Benin theater which utilized Greek and the Japanese Kabuki
designs. He also designed the scepter for his brother's coronation as the Obi of Idumoje Ugboko. Other famous architectural works includes the cultural center, Ibadan, which made use of natural forms to emphasize its relationship with nature and ancient Yoruba
art.
Demas Nwoko is a respected Nigerian artist, architect and master builder in Nigeria. Born in 1935, Nwoko’s works fuse modern techniques in architecture and stage design with African tradition. With works like The Dominican Institute, Ibadan and The Akenzua Cultural Center, Benin to his credit, Demas Nwoko is one ‘artist-architect’ who believes in celebrating the African tradition in his works. In 2007, Farafina published The Architecture of Demas Nwoko, a study of Nwoko’s work and theories written by two British Architects,John Godwin OBE and Gillian Hopwood. We have pasted below a review of The Architecture of Demas Nwoko in the African Book Publishing Record.
In a review written by Frank Salamone of the Iowa College - This is a beautiful work demonstrating and analyzing the contributions of Demas Nwoko, the Nigerian architect,artist, poet and all-around person of letters. Indeed, many books could be written discussing Nwoko’s work in a number of artistic fields. John Godwin and Gillian Hopwood do touch on a number of these fields and Nwoko’s contributions to them. However, they are architects and quite rightly they concentrate on architecture. Having spent some time in Ibadan at the Dominican Institute, one of Nwoko’s masterpieces, I can appreciate their enthusiasm for his work.
The Dominican Institute was his first major architectural project. He asked the Dominicans if he could assist them in their new building. The Dominican fathers, whom I know well, were eager to incorporate African motifs in their new buildings in Ibadan. Nwoko’s designs perfectly fit their needs.
Nwoko’s studies in Zaria and Paris had prepared him well for his plan of combining African art with modern ideas of European art. He began designing for University of Ibadan theatrical productions. It was his new ideas, which led to his work with the Dominicans and that
success led to his subsequent works throughout Nigeria, including the Oba Akenzua Theater in Benin city, Nigeria. The Oba Akenzua Theater uses Japanese and Greek designs in an African setting. I would be remiss if I did not mention his cultural centre in Ibadan and the sceptre he designed for his brother’s coronation. His brother is the Obi of Idumoje Ugboko.
In addition to his architecture Nwoko has many other accomplishments in the arts. He co-published New Culture, a leading arts magazine, pointing the way toward new movements in African art. He led the way toward a modern mode of expression in African art, theater, painting, and architecture. In addition, he is a fine actor and dancer, having performed in numerous plays in Ibadan. He also is a distinguished
professor in Ibadan.
Godwin and Hopwood manage to capture all of these facets of Nwoko’s career while keeping the focus on his architecture. Nwoko belongs to that generation of artists, along with Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, who fought for Nigerian independence artistically as well as politically.
This book has been produced to an exceptionally high quality, with plentiful photographs. The Architecture of Demas Nwoko is recommended for all architecture and African Studies collections.
's 'Palmwine Drinkard' owes a little bit of credit to the effort of Nwoko. His inventive creations helped organize the choreography and direction of the play and brought to life the themes of Tutuola in every act of the play. His body of stage design and direction which started at Ibadan includes, Wole Soyinka
's A Dance of the Forests, Brecht's Der Kaukasische Kreidekreis (The Caucasian Chalk Circle
), and the Mbari Theatre production of John Pepper Clark
's The Masquerade.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, protean designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
and architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
. As an artist, he strives to incorporate modern techniques in architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and stage design to enunciate the African subject matters in most of his works. In the 1960s, he was a member of the Mbari club of Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
, a committee of burgeoning Nigerian and foreign artists. He was also a lecturer at the University of Ibadan
University of Ibadan
The University of Ibadan is the oldest Nigerian university, and is located five miles from the centre of the major city of Ibadan in Western Nigeria...
. In the 1970s, he was the publisher of the now defunct New Culture magazine.
Nwoko, sees design as an ingenuous activity that carries with it a focus on social responsibility for positive influences in the environment and culture of the society.
Early life
Nwoko was born in Idumuje Ugboko, a town which now has as its ObiObi
Obi may refer to:* Obi , a sash worn with a kimono or with the uniforms used by practitioners of Japanese martial arts* Obi-Wan Kenobi, fictional character from the Star Wars universe...
(King) Nwoko's brother. He grew up in Idumuje Ugboko appreciating the newly constructed architectural edifices in the town and in the palace of the Obi, his father. He went to study fine arts at the Zaria College of Arts, Science and Technology in 1956, a year after the college was moved from its original location in Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
to Zaria
Zaria
Zaria may refer to:*Zaria, a city in Kaduna State, Nigeria*Zaria , or Zoria, the Slavic goddess of beauty*Countess Zaria of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg, a member of the Dutch royal family...
. In 1962, he received a scholarship from the Congress of Cultural Freedom to study at the Centre Français du Théâtre in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he learned scenic design.
Zaria art school
He studied Fine Arts at the College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria from 1957-1961 where he was exposed to conventional Western techniques in art, though like most of the artists at the school their subject matter was predominantly African. In the late 1950s, together with Uche Okeke, Simon Okeke and few other art students, he formed the Art Society. This was during a period dominated by nationalistic fervor, with the attainment of national political independence in 1960. The Art Society became known for championing NaturalNatural
Natural is an adjective that refers to Nature.Natural may refer too:In science and mathematics:* Natural transformation, category theory in mathematics* Natural foods...
Synthesis, a term coined by Uche Okeke to describe the combination of contemporary Western art techniques and African ideas, art forms, and themes.
Pan Africanism and early artwork
In the 1950s, Nigeria's campaign for self rule was dominated by two major ideas on how to achieve a truly independent and stable polityPolity
Polity is a form of government Aristotle developed in his search for a government that could be most easily incorporated and used by the largest amount of people groups, or states...
. One was based on region
Region
Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
s as the foundation of the nation-state
Nation-state
The nation state is a state that self-identifies as deriving its political legitimacy from serving as a sovereign entity for a nation as a sovereign territorial unit. The state is a political and geopolitical entity; the nation is a cultural and/or ethnic entity...
and politicians used the regions as a stepping stone for political success, the other embraced the ideas that emanated from the early Nigerian Youth Movement
Nigerian Youth Movement
The Nigerian Youth Movement was Nigeria's first genuine nationalist organization, founded in Lagos in 1933 with the name of Lagos Youth Movement and renamed the Nigerian Youth Movement in 1936.-Early years:Founding members included Dr...
and the Zikist Movements to employ themes of Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is a movement that seeks to unify African people or people living in Africa, into a "one African community". Differing types of Pan-Africanism seek different levels of economic, racial, social, or political unity...
and to forgo the regions as the foundation of the future Nigerian polity
Polity
Polity is a form of government Aristotle developed in his search for a government that could be most easily incorporated and used by the largest amount of people groups, or states...
. In his art work, Nwoko moved slightly towards the latter. Nwoko's early sculpture and painting style were inspired by the findings at Nok
Nok
The Nok culture appeared in Nigeria around 1000 B.C. and mysteriously vanished around 500 AD in the region of West Africa. This region lies in Central Nigeria. The culture’s social system is thought to have been highly advanced. The Nok culture was considered to be the earliest sub-Saharan producer...
. A lot of his early sculptures and paintings can be described as one of extrapolation
Extrapolation
In mathematics, extrapolation is the process of constructing new data points. It is similar to the process of interpolation, which constructs new points between known points, but the results of extrapolations are often less meaningful, and are subject to greater uncertainty. It may also mean...
. His terracotta's were designs that extended and expressed the art forms of the Ancient Nok with less deviation from an ancient African theme. This allowed the work to express less ambiguity and more clarity of intentions and to showcase a modern African art form.
Architectural design
After completing his studies at Zaria and Paris, he moved to Ibadan in 1963. In Ibadan, he originally concentrated on designs for theatrical productionTheatrical production
A theatrical production is any theatre stage play, musical, comedy or drama produced from a written book or script. These works are protected by common law or statuary copyright unless in the public domain....
s of the University of Ibadan's department of Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
while he was also a lecturer at the university. While in the ancient city, he was sometimes short on cash and expenses to build or buy a house and studio for his work. He then decided to build his studio and house from traditional methods to complement his cash shortage. He used clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
and laterite
Laterite
Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...
found around the site chosen and built a brick house and studio from the natural resources lying around.
His inventiveness in using modern and new techniques for selected and protean African art works led to his name being spread around town and in the country. Nwoko's first major architectural design was for a Dominican mission in Ibadan. After the nation's independence, some missions desired to decorate their churches with African motifs. He was originally approached to design a plaque
Commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
for a new chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
but he later asked the Dominican fathers to help in designing a new chapel to be located in Ibadan. Although, his initial design was a little bit crude with the utilization of free-hand drawing, it was meant to accommodate local exigencies such as the sunny atmosphere in Ibadan. Usually, his designs were designed to have interior temperatures to be in contrast to the exterior temperatures at most times. His style was molded to fit into the temporal needs of African citizens in a given location.
Nwoko later went on to design more structures such as the Benin theater which utilized Greek and the Japanese Kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
designs. He also designed the scepter for his brother's coronation as the Obi of Idumoje Ugboko. Other famous architectural works includes the cultural center, Ibadan, which made use of natural forms to emphasize its relationship with nature and ancient Yoruba
Yoruba traditional art
The Yoruba of South Western Africa , have a very rich and vibrant artisan community, creating traditional and contemporary art...
art.
Demas Nwoko is a respected Nigerian artist, architect and master builder in Nigeria. Born in 1935, Nwoko’s works fuse modern techniques in architecture and stage design with African tradition. With works like The Dominican Institute, Ibadan and The Akenzua Cultural Center, Benin to his credit, Demas Nwoko is one ‘artist-architect’ who believes in celebrating the African tradition in his works. In 2007, Farafina published The Architecture of Demas Nwoko, a study of Nwoko’s work and theories written by two British Architects,John Godwin OBE and Gillian Hopwood. We have pasted below a review of The Architecture of Demas Nwoko in the African Book Publishing Record.
In a review written by Frank Salamone of the Iowa College - This is a beautiful work demonstrating and analyzing the contributions of Demas Nwoko, the Nigerian architect,artist, poet and all-around person of letters. Indeed, many books could be written discussing Nwoko’s work in a number of artistic fields. John Godwin and Gillian Hopwood do touch on a number of these fields and Nwoko’s contributions to them. However, they are architects and quite rightly they concentrate on architecture. Having spent some time in Ibadan at the Dominican Institute, one of Nwoko’s masterpieces, I can appreciate their enthusiasm for his work.
The Dominican Institute was his first major architectural project. He asked the Dominicans if he could assist them in their new building. The Dominican fathers, whom I know well, were eager to incorporate African motifs in their new buildings in Ibadan. Nwoko’s designs perfectly fit their needs.
Nwoko’s studies in Zaria and Paris had prepared him well for his plan of combining African art with modern ideas of European art. He began designing for University of Ibadan theatrical productions. It was his new ideas, which led to his work with the Dominicans and that
success led to his subsequent works throughout Nigeria, including the Oba Akenzua Theater in Benin city, Nigeria. The Oba Akenzua Theater uses Japanese and Greek designs in an African setting. I would be remiss if I did not mention his cultural centre in Ibadan and the sceptre he designed for his brother’s coronation. His brother is the Obi of Idumoje Ugboko.
In addition to his architecture Nwoko has many other accomplishments in the arts. He co-published New Culture, a leading arts magazine, pointing the way toward new movements in African art. He led the way toward a modern mode of expression in African art, theater, painting, and architecture. In addition, he is a fine actor and dancer, having performed in numerous plays in Ibadan. He also is a distinguished
professor in Ibadan.
Godwin and Hopwood manage to capture all of these facets of Nwoko’s career while keeping the focus on his architecture. Nwoko belongs to that generation of artists, along with Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, who fought for Nigerian independence artistically as well as politically.
This book has been produced to an exceptionally high quality, with plentiful photographs. The Architecture of Demas Nwoko is recommended for all architecture and African Studies collections.
Stage design
The success of Amos TutuolaAmos Tutuola
Amos Tutuola was a Nigerian writer famous for his books based in part on Yoruba folk-tales.- Early history :Tutuola was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria, in 1920, where his parents Charles and Esther were Yoruba Christian cocoa farmers. When about 7 years old, he became a servant for F.O...
's 'Palmwine Drinkard' owes a little bit of credit to the effort of Nwoko. His inventive creations helped organize the choreography and direction of the play and brought to life the themes of Tutuola in every act of the play. His body of stage design and direction which started at Ibadan includes, Wole Soyinka
Wole Soyinka
Akinwande Oluwole "Wole" Soyinka is a Nigerian writer, poet and playwright. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, where he was recognised as a man "who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence", and became the first African in Africa and...
's A Dance of the Forests, Brecht's Der Kaukasische Kreidekreis (The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a better mother than its natural parents....
), and the Mbari Theatre production of John Pepper Clark
John Pepper Clark
John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo is a Nigerian poet and playwright who publishes under the name J.P. Clark.-Life:Born to Ijaw parents, Clark received his early education at the Native Administration School and the prestigious Government College in Ughelli, and his BA degree in English at the...
's The Masquerade.
External links
- http://archnet.org/library/parties/one-party.tcl?party_id=1209