Minika Art on Chronicling African Cultures

BY OLAMIDE OLAREWAJU

Minika is an expressionist visual artist who grew up surrounded by nature and its many elements. Her artistic and cultural upbringing influences her work and has a significant impact on her creative expression. Growing up in Calabar, a society rich in vibrant and flamboyant cultural experiences, had a significant impact on her and, by extension, her work. She became fascinated with art at a young age and fell in love with it.

Learning more about art drew her into the beauty industry, where she rose to become one of Nigeria's top makeup artists, with a make-up style that ranged from soft to expressive. Minika is constantly exploring and sharing her life's journey through various media. She sees the human body as one of her canvases on which to tell these stories. Her art is vibrant and colourful, and it reflects her rich African heritage. She discusses her unique style of art and why she is documenting African cultures through art.

Minika is a fusion of arts and photography; tell us about it.

Minika is currently exploring photography in partnership with Hakeem Salaam, one of Nigeria’s renowned photographers. However, the vision is to explore many other art forms in the course of my artistic journey. There are so many sources of inspiration and so many mediums to express yourself through. The future is full of prospects and potential. It is truly exciting.

Let’s go back. How did this start? How did your journey into the arts/How did Minika come by?

Growing up in Calabar was full of colourful and flamboyant cultural experiences, which strongly influenced my art. The Efik culture is bold and absolutely beautiful. This cuts across face painting, attire, food, hairstyles, cultural experiences, and so much more. Seeing these on a daily basis helped mold me into the artist I am today.

I was born into a deeply rooted cultural Efik family full of artists, and they helped tickle my creativity in various ways. I started exploring the arts at an early age and haven’t stopped expressing them.

In my journey as an artist, I found myself in the beauty industry, where I rose to become one of Nigeria’s top makeup artists, my style of make-up ranging from soft to expressive looks. Today, I am exploring different forms of art, and I am eager to try more.

How do you come up with your pieces (they are different, very different from what we see around)? What inspired you to create these pieces?

The pieces you see are tailored to different projects centered around Africa. The first project called ili was focused on indigenous Nigerian fabrics, and so inspiration was drawn from the fabrics, which were carefully selected to represent different parts of the country. ili explored the many colours and artistic expressions in the daily and social endeavours of Nigerian ethnic groups, highlighting underlying connections deeply rooted in these cultural, ceremonial, and even spiritual fabrics.

The second project, called Ekomo, is centered around African musical instruments. Ekomo pieces draw from the sounds, designs, people, and history of each instrument in focus. Ekomo speaks to how several factors like migration, trade, beliefs, etc. have influenced the traditional music of Africa and how all these movements have generated the different sounds we have today, tracing back history to identify that many genres got their roots in Africa. Ekomo also highlights the beauty of the instruments and the richness of the sounds they produce.

You have a special canvas, a human/ model. What inspired you to use a human (model) as your canvas?

I am in a phase where I am currently exploring body art. The human body is indeed special, and I find that it gives room for a lot of creativity. The shades, the contours, the lines, and the details are all in abundance, so there is a lot of room to play (*laughs). The human body allows me to experience colour and movement, and this leaves room for a lot of adventure.

There is an energy that comes with working with a living being. It speaks life, instantly. The piece is alive (how do I explain this without sounding crazy? *laughs*). This form of expression is liberating, both for me as the artist and for the subject. It is a beautiful experience when I see how body art also helps the subject build positivity about their bodies. That’s a different conversation in itself. Finally, body art is quite significant in different African cultures, which ties in solidly with my brand.

Ili and the other themed pieces chronicle cultures; why this take?

I believe we need to shed light on how amazing the African continent is. The richness and fullness of Africa can’t be expressed in a lifetime, so telling African stories through my art comes naturally to me. It is who I am.

What do you hope to achieve with Minika in a few years?

Minika will continue to explore art in its many forms. She will continue to express herself through different mediums, one story at a time.