THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF A TIMELESS ARTIST
“When God does something for 1 or 2 people, he is telling you I can do it for you. Stop the envy, malice…Keep inspiring yourself. There is no need fighting the artist that is making more money than you. We need friendships”– Duke Asidere
At the age of 61 with three kids, not many Nigerian visual artists can look as stylish, fashionable, and dapper as Duke Asidere when you first encounter him. “You will never have a second opportunity to make a perfect impression,” he says emphasizing the need to look your best at any given time as a visual artist looking to gather attention and regard.
“If you don’t treat yourself well, you can’t treat that canvas well. If you don’t treat that canvas well, you can’t paint well,” he adds.
Thereby when he steps into a crowd full of (emerging) visual artists, it is not impossible to be captivated by the presence of this master artist who is always on fleek. Simple yet sophisticated elegance.
“Nobody needs a human being to get to the next level because nobody can wake you up in the morning…”– Duke Asidere
One might then assume that Duke Asidere has always been a socialite in constant patronage of high fashion. But it has not always been the case.
In a MENTORSHIP MOMENT session at the 2022 Series 4 press conference of the Next of Kin art competition and exhibition organized by Thought Pyramid Art Centre Lagos, Duke Asidere reveals that his first art sale went for 1300 Naira.
Besides, for Duke Asidere “art has never been to make money really. When you do art, you change something or excite somebody…”. For Duke Asidere, “Art becomes for me not just a gift. This is my liberating energy.”
Indeed, money is not powerful enough to sustain an artist. For the most part according to Duke Asidere, “Living beyond your own, is when you start living. You have to find what you are looking for, but whatever does not give you peace is not for you”.
That 1300 Naira moment in his history was preceded by vocational periods at Alayabiagba (Boundary) market with his mother Victoria where he assisted in selling wrappers (English wax, Hollandaise, Georges, Abada, Scarves…). Sometimes helping to cut them and at other times hawking garri (locally made flakes from cassava flour) and plantain.
Therefore, in view of his beginnings, one would understand when he said, “Nothing is expensive once you are doing it to please yourself and not to prove a point…”
“wake up, do your best…laziness is stupidity”– Duke Asidere
In my years of interviewing visual artists, none has ever mentioned God as much as Duke Asidere did during this dialogue. Occasionally saying Jehovah with an intonation similar to that of a Jehovah Witness.
Duke Asidere who is a KICC (King International Christian Centre) member ensured to emphasize the importance of God in being the only BEING who has the power to uplift an artist: emerging or mid-career. “Nobody needs a human being to get to the next level because nobody can wake you up in the morning…,” he reveals.
Hence, trusting the inspiration of God, Duke Asidere holds that “As an artist, whatever enters your heart to paint, paint it.” Although he states clearly with certainty “If all this (negativity) is happening and it doesn’t anger your art, you are not an artist.”
Talking about the issues surrounding art creation in Nigeria, Duke Asidere insists that artists should “Stop looking for what is not available. Ask God for his blessings: teach you to paint something beyond your generation.” Little wonder he is widely referred to as BISHOP amongst his inner circles of friends and disciples.
“as an artist, whatever enters your heart to paint, paint it”.– Duke Asidere
For the emerging artists too, he says, “ Be consistent, work hard, work with high intensity, give the best, get your routine together, keep learning, attend group exhibitions and shows, doing the best for every day. What I have resolved to do is the best of my best.” “Wake up, do your best…laziness is stupidity,” Duke Asidere spurs them further.
He would go on to say “Build your practice and let your practice last and it will eventually answer for you.” For Duke Asidere, to not be affected by the round-the-clock changes in the visual art world, an artist has to continually engage in the process of “Thinking, rethinking, and rethinking” including using their art as a tool to question what is wrong, “ I have used my art to fight everything…If God has gifted me with this, I will do my very best; everything to be my very best. I know what God wants from me so I do my best. ”
People who run Africa are children. Dull 8-year-olds. – Duke Asidere
Confronted with the question of how an emerging artist looking for buzz can stand for something when they are the ones looking for something, Duke Asidere insists “What you can’t do on day 20 don’t do on day 1.” Something he dared to do in the early days of his career as an emerging young artist while dealing with some of the biggest personalities in the Nigerian art industry which he claims can be attested to by most of his colleagues.
Nevertheless, he emphasizes that it is essential to “Practice the right choice…” while making a stand for a personal principle: “Everyone has the right to make their own choice (create art for money or create art for art’s sake). The artist is the primary enforcer of his creativity.” But he urges you to “Prove your point every time without breaking your artist principle.”
“An international artist doesn’t do African art to gain acceptance, so why should you (do international art as a means to gain acceptance)?”– Duke Asidere
Duke Asidere stresses the need for artists to establish and be deliberate about building relationships, friendships (with colleagues too), and the information that goes into them. For him, there is no point hating the other artists who are doing better “when God does something for 1 or 2 people, he is telling you I can do it for you. Stop the envy, malice…Keep inspiring yourself. There is no need to fight the artist that is making more money than you. We need friendships”
He holds that since we cannot all exist without friends, even an artist cannot make the right decision “once you don’t have the right quality of friendships.” Master Duke underlines the need for artists to build stronger relationships with their collectors as well as their colleagues. “Build business relationships: relate. People can not be buying your art and the only time you call them is when you are broke.” Stating that he gave his collectors and dealers a drawing each in December of 2021 as gratitude for their patronage for that year.
Talking further on friendships, he asserts that artists, no matter how busy, should create time for friends that matter- “ when your friends are going through stuff, be there. That is the only thing they will remember.”
Disclosing that his studio sent money to as many friends and colleagues as he can afford to regardless of whether they needed the money or not. “We must keep doing good; good to encourage the next person”, Duke Asidere proposes. Even at the time of this interview, Duke Asidere was in Ibadan helping his friend on a property supervision assignment while tied to the neck with a forthcoming art project of his own.
Having spent four straight days in Ibadan at the time of the interview with no electric power that he has an abundant alternative for in his house in Lagos, Duke Asidere was stirred to share his thoughts about Africa, African arts, and artists.
He opens up by saying “People who run Africa are children. Dull 8-year-olds.” Because he still doesn’t understand why one man wants to have every desire he doesn’t need. But on African art, he comments that “if we can produce the kind of art we produce with all the darkness, then we are the hope of the world.”
Speaking of African artists, Duke says they might not be superheroes but they are powerful because, in the midst of all the gloom, African artists like himself find spaces in their art to superimpose their thoughts.
Lastly, Duke Asidere clarifies that emerging artists have to prove themselves to attract the attention they seek because according to him “it (Nigeria) is a country of provers. (But) don’t get lost in the title chase in a country that is title crazy. How do you prove (yourself and your art to be the best)?”.
In response to emerging artists doing art to please foreign collectors, Duke Asidere said, “I am not living my life based on anybody’s control”. Anybody’s control as used by Duke represents personalities telling him to do international art which he calls ignorant art. “An international artist doesn’t do African art to gain acceptance, so why should you?”, he argues.
Duke Asidere would strongly express his anger for artists who, in a bid to sell and gain attention for their art, take their artworks to places where their value ends up being diminished.
“if all this (negativeness) is happening and it doesn’t anger your art, then you are not an artist.”- Duke Asidere
Willing to share more of the trading adventures he had with his mother while growing up but did not have enough time in the Whatsapp interview to do so; he summarises, “My father was the breadwinner. But my mother could buy my father from the breadwinning business.” Making sure to announce the strength of his mother which would go on to fuel his artistic musings involving the creation of themes surrounding the female figure as inspired by his mother. Depicting them as equally strong and projecting the invisible issues they confront every day as mothers especially.
Afterward, Duke divulged that he is writing two books at the same time with over 600 pages dedicated to sharing such stories from his humble beginnings with his mother titled: A Strong Woman’s Son.
Wrapping it all up, Duke Asidere questions the Nigerian artist, “What are you standing for? As an artist, you have to stand for something.” Continuing further he demands, “how do you want your great-grandchildren to view African art? Document it in your art. Be a million years ahead of your time.” He is revered for his political art, unshakeable confidence, and bold utterances audible in his paintings and posts on Instagram,
Described by Oliver Enwonwu as “one of the most exciting artists working in Nigeria today”, in the age NFTs and Metaverse are constantly pushing for a change in the narrative as regards the creation and collection of visual art, you can tell from his aforementioned submissions why Duke Asidere continues to remain a timeless artist in the art industry of Nigeria.