‘Art speaks love, peace, unity in diverse tongues’

According to Femi Williams, arts speak a universal language, a rhythm of peace, love and harmony. For him every artwork is a paradox of maze and every chance to understand its riddles exhilarates freedom.

Speaking on the message behind most art exhibition, he notes, “to the artist as a hedonist, the message is simple; pleasure culture, heritage and most importantly, a way of life. I am an artist, a visual artist and as a custodian of art, I want to be able to create an eclectic vision of artwork that would blend ancient art culture with contemporary art.”

On how he comes to like and talk art, the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, trained artist, said, “art has always been in his blood’, adding, ‘in life, lots of people know what to do, but a few actually do what they know; knowing is not enough. We must take action, what we truly desire most in our hearts is really the right thing.” According to him, he had desired to be an artist right from his childhood days, when he sees his father, who is also an artist, sketching on the canvass.

Was that why you are into visual art? “May be, but my venture into art is not a mistake,” he intoned. “I chose visual art having experimented with different art forms. In fact, visual art appealed more to me than any other.

With a gallery in Benin and Lagos, Williams is upping his ante, going into art business. “I basically do the business of art, everything I see around me shows art; I am into fashion, furniture and interiors. I see the art craft not only for their entertaining beauty and harmony, but also for their tourist’s attraction and revenue generation potentials. I have done a sequel of solo and group art exhibitions, where different artists from within and outside of Nigeria featured.

“One of my epic art exhibition and launching was done on October 1, 2010, to commemorate Nigeria’s Golden Jubilee. It was titled ‘Eclecticism’ in the ancient Benin Kingdom.’ The exhibition exposed the hidden treasure of art. It showed the unflinching struggle of an independent nation,” he noted.

Disclosing what art has taught him in life, the Ogun State native said: “I was brought up to respect culture, no matter the ethnicity because culture, no matter the history, speaks the same language. In my research and education as an artist, I have found out that culture is the true custodian of every art form.”

Advising young artists to be focused on their goals, Williams revealed that the trouble with not having a goal is that one spends his/her life running up and down the field and never scores in life.

“Set a goal for yourself and stick to it, and you will be amazed at what you will be able to achieve at the end of the day. The huddles that lie behind us and the obstacles that lie before us are tiny matters compared to the strength that is within us. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra; all one needs to do is ‘that little extra’ to be extraordinary as an artist.”

Born in Zaria, Williams has been exposed to different art, as a way of life, right form his childhood days. He is also involved in art research and has travelled to different states in Nigeria and many countries across Africa for the sake of art and culture.