Egwuh’s artworks spark conversations about life

By Prisca Sam-Duru

Ameh Egwuh has again warmed the hearts of many art lovers who gathered at the opening of his third solo exhibition titled “It Was Just a Game” at Rele Gallery, Ikoyi Lagos.

Egwuh in this latest body of works boldly explored the snake and ladder game to create beautiful artworks that show objects, humans, and animals, sparking conversations about life’s captivating elements, such as hope, revenge, and power. This is a clear deviation from his bright-coloured canvases.

His new collections on display in this solo outing numbering 22, curated by Adeoluwa Oluwajoba, will remain open to the public till 26 November 2023.

Inspired by the classic indoor game with thought-provoking moral messages, Egwuh captures in his pieces all that the game represents in its entirety including the squares and ladders that are symbols of virtues. In contrast, the squares that featured snakes represent evil.

The Progression up the board represents the journey of life while the ladders symbolise good deeds like kindness, faith, and humility. The snakes stand for bad deeds like anger, murder, and theft. All these lessons are echoed in his works.

“The snake and ladder game has this movement from 1-100 like a motion through life from one point to another. I picked it because it gave me that space to have various conversations about life itself. Like things that affect me and people around me. It’s a different conversation within the game,” the artist explained.

Many people share this belief that the snake is a subtle animal and one wonders if that’s why the artist chose grey and subtle colours for the new body of works. Egwuh however explained “Normally my works are in blue colours; bold blue colours. But I toned the pallets of colour in this body of work. It was intentional because I wanted to create a subtle space, like a very calm environment when you walk into the exhibition. I made use of acrylic in creating these works and also graphites (pencils). It’s a mixed media.”

The young talented artist who is known for his deep-thinking ability as reflected in his works, has in the past, in his solo exhibitions in Nigeria, South Korea and Paris made bold expressions about life, the afterlife, and human behaviours. He explores various mediums including acrylics on canvas and graphites.  Observing the works closely, one can see objects, humans, and beside them, the snake squares and ladder and conversations within the game

Explaining the idea behind one of his pieces, ‘Baby Leopard and the Curious Cat’, Egwuh who studied Fine and Applied Arts at the Delta State University, Abraka said, ” I tried to take you back to when you were a child, you had this curious mind, you want to explore the whole world. I remember when I was a little boy I was playing close to a lamp and I placed a spoon on the hot lantern and later placed the spoon on my lips. It burnt my lips. I think I was curious about what was going to happen to me. That idea of wanting to know as a child, to explore life, was what I captured in that canvas. Even if you are now grown up, and living a routine lifestyle: wake up in the morning, go to work, come back in the night. You don’t take time to experience life itself. The work is projecting the idea of staying curious and keeping that little child inside of you burning.”

He added, “On every canvas, there are different conversations taking place. I want anyone that comes to this place to have a meeting moment with each canvas; like a moment of self-reflection. Ask yourself questions, and when you are done with that and leave this space, you will be conversant with your being, space, and things around you.”
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