Mbonu Emerem
I conceive life and living in the context of our relationships with the sacred realm. Hence, my artworks and creative efforts place man at the center of function. With the combinations of Western and African motifs my arts are made to rouse the conscience of mankind, reclaim the human race, and restore humanity and the dignity of man. For my Paintings, I use acrylic, oil, watercolor, pencil and mixed media in the execution of my works. For my Digital Arts, I use computer and scanning technology and for my Sculptures, I use cement and fiber. I saturate my works with stunning and imposing sacrosanct by borrowing and using connotative images to show hidden force using themes that emphasize my sufferings as a struggling artist. For me carrying on the old conventions is not enough. Although I take them into account, I also seek inspiration from the life around me in order to make the traditions serve modern times. As life reveals to me its fresh meanings, I find it difficult not to reflect on them. All in all, I am either stimulated by my personal experiences of life or by environmental, touching, mind-purifying and life-consoling experiences to which I cannot be insensitive. In my dutiful efforts to separate facts from legends through unusual combination of Western and African motifs and techniques, I am deeply committed to the reflection of my serious contemplation of man and his fate, both from the point of view of the impact of modern civilization and from the examination of the fundamentals of human existence. I consider my pursuit necessary and relevant because this is a period in the history of mankind when humanistic and moralizing advocacies are needed from every profession to help realize culturally harmonious, peaceful and respectable global status quo.