By Mazhun Idris
A private gallery in Nigeria's northern state of Kano has presented an exhibition that showcased an array of delicately carved wooden art pieces, iron works, and enchanting bronze casts that left a strong impression on visitors.
The sculpture exhibition, which took place early in March, was the second to be organised by Kabara Kreative in collaboration with the Society of Nigerian Artists, Hausa Art Studio, Bakale Arts & Crafts, Herwa Heart of Art, FLINT, and Poetic Echoes.
Works by about a dozen artists were displayed, and the show was attended by many art patrons, enthusiasts, and skilled artists from around the ancient Kano city.
The featured works include "The Village" by Fatima Zakari, "The Couple" and "The Nest" by Habibu Rabiu, "Delilah," "Aesthetics," "Biomorphic Portrait," and "City (Ethiopia) of My Dreams" by Simone Ngadda.
Maryam Batool, the curator of the exhibition, told TRT Afrika the exhibition was about celebrating creativity and cultural engagement found in the Kano community.
“Our mission is to provide a platform for artists to express themselves, engage with audiences, and inspire others through their creative endeavours,” Batool said.
The craft artists include painters, sculpturers, carvers, and weavers, while the work media include ceramic, paint, embroidery, wood, metal, and mixed media.
“There is beauty and craftsmanship captured in each of the displayed works,” Imam Khalid, a creative intern at the event, told TRT Afrika.
“History, culture, pain, and love cannot be documented by words and books alone. This is where carving and sculpture come in handy,” Imam further pointed out.
Kabara Kreative, which is a project of Kabara Community Development Initiative, was set up as a nonprofit in 2016.
Curator Batool said the art initiative was to further strengthen collaboration between cultural organisations.
“We support the revival of arts and cultural livelihoods, but we also want to invent the social exposure to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and design,” Batool said.
One of the ways this is achieved is by giving young talented northerners a platform to express creativity, and generate commercial avenues for themselves in a safe environment.
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