Interview Session With Evelyn Osagie "The First Lady Of Gele"

She is the ‘First Lady of Gele’. Her headgear, which is popularly called gele in Yoruba, has earned her the title by Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka and the wearer of the world’s largest gele on Meristem Nigeria Limited-sponsored advert. Chief Monica Okundaye’s art has set her on the world map and earned her several recognitions, including an honorary doctorate from Rhodes University, in the United States. This year’s Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) October Rain exhibition is dedicated to her. In this chat with Evelyn Osagie, she speaks on her art, family and relationship with the late Susanne Wenger.

 Then, the teachers would give you pen and paper and instruct you on what to do. They’d give you board and plywood and ask you to get creative with it. They’d give you wood and ask that you print on it or carve your designs on it. That was how they founded Osogbo artists. My old works are like that too – whatever we saw in our dreams, we drew. And that was what made people think it’s fetish. I would say, it was when I got to Lagos that I started doing fine art (laughs). Before then my art was essentially inspired by my dreams.

The art in my background

And as I’ve always said my art creativity is inborn. I was born into the art; my parents were all artists. I am from Ogidi Ijumu, Kogi State. I am the fifth generation of artists from my direct family.  My parents were artists.  My great-great grandparents were into  adire making, indigo dyeing; and my great-grandmother was also into weaving.  And my mother was into embroidery, weaving and painting with adire before she died.  She was not up to 30 years old when she died.

My relationship with Wenger

We were very close. She took me as her daughter. And I also adored her like a mother because I never had a mother. I told her everything and she advised me. Her advice was so useful to me. We were so close that if anyone offended me, she would fight on my behalf.

She was very sick when she turned 90 and everybody thought she was going to die. But I carried her to the hospital and she survived. She died three years later. She divided all her property while she was alive. I was so close to her that when she did her will, she gave me one.

Marrying family with career as an artist

Marriage is give and take. We manage ourselves. You are the manager of your husband; your husband is your manager. And you’d manage yourself. Indeed, it has been very exciting and I thank God. There is no perfect marriage.

It’s hard work, management and patience: you’d also have to make out time to spend with them (husband and family). I divide my time into three – my husband, family and art.

Up till now, I still cook for my husband. He doesn’t eat house girl’s food. I don’t even have one and that is why the marriage is working. I wake up at 5am in the morning to prepare breakfast. He eats by 6.30am; then I will prepare the rice he would eat at lunch, put it in the bag and bring it to the gallery. He will leave for home by 3pm. And I’ve already prepared the pounded yam he would eat in the evening and put it in the microwave. And when I’m travelling, I’ll make the food he’d eat for the period I’ll be gone.

My advice to  aspiring artists

To any young person who wants to become an artist, I would say they should have a focus and patience. It doesn’t just happen in one day. I started this journey 55 years ago.

Whatever you want to become in life, it is very easy for you to get there, but you have to have plenty of patience, endurance and everything that it takes. When a little opportunity is given to you, grab it.

My next project

I want to build a bigger gallery in Abuja next year. It would carry works from about 40 countries in Africa. It is going to be a big project but I know God will do it. And by the end of this year, I want to open a female gallery, featuring solely women’s works, not far from me here. So, I can always send the females to go to their gallery there, some people are coming to see you people. So, they can be rotating themselves. Anybody who can teach would have the opportunity to teach those who want to bring their children to come and learn art. And women artists would be able to make more income in the arts.