I have no regret being an artist – Angela Isiuwe

For the average young girl, especially one
who grew up in a university environment,
the choice of arts as a profession will be
the last thing in her mind, considering the
nonchalant attitude of government to arts
and the level of arts appreciation in the
country, but to Angela Isiuwe, that is not
so.
The 1992 graduate of  Auchi Polytechnic
who had participated in many group
exhibitions and recently concluded a
successful joint exhibition with her
husband has described art as a call she
will never ignore.
*Angela Isiuwe, with one of her work
entitled Age of Innocence
“Painting to me is a call I will never
ignore. It is my life, my voice by which I
could be recognised.”
Angela who is a full time studio artist and
one inspired and nurtured by mutual love,
creative affiliation and geared towards
bringing a breath of fresh air to the
increasingly vibrant Nigerian art scene
with her husband, Emmanuel a painter
also, said that unlike other people who
stumbled into arts, her choice of arts is
divine, “I could’nt say I stumbled into art,
I consciously went into art after
secondary school, having grown up in one
of the higher institutions, Abraka, where
my father was a lecturer. I know what art
is, so I decided from primary school that I
am going to read art and thereafter went
to Auchi Polytechnic for 5 years to study
art. But after graduation I studied under
Sam Ovraiti and consequently I branched
out of regular art and now I do more of
minimalist art, lineal art.”
The amiable mother of five, who recently
had a successful exhibition with her
husband at Didi Museum paid a visit to
Vanguard office with two art works , one
of which is titled Age of Innocence, a
painting of a young girl covering part of
her body. Speaking about the work,
Angela said, “looking at the painting you
could see the lady still covering a side of
her body. I can say that it could get to a
time when shyness, innocence would
leave her and there will be no need for
the wrapper. As time goes on, when the
innocence and shyness have cleared,
there will be no need for the wrapper.”
Contnuing she said that the message is
simple , it is telling young girls to cherish
their age of innocence. “I have an 18 year
old daughter who is in a hurry to become
an adult and I remind her that the time is
very short, time of innocence is very
short that she should enjoy it. After some
time, she will not do some of those things
as a child. She will become an adult, age
of innocence has passed. From that
painting I am telling children that are
growing up, to enjoy their youth while it
lasts, enjoy your innocence while it lasts.”
Angela who renders her paintings in
evocative swift lines also has a word for
upcoming artist. To her, “Art is about
passion, if you are doing something you
love with passion, if you are doing arts,
you don’t look at the money first. It has
taken me years, I graduated in 1992, and
yet it has not been so rosy, but being
consistent and being passionate about it.
I don’t think that I regret being a full
time studio artist. In fact, if I am to be
born again, I will still like to be an artist.
There is a lot of joy in it.”

Vanguard