People: BROOKHAVEN: Artist living his dream: Nigerian didn't let naysayers stifle ambition
GETTING TO KNOW THE CHARACTERS IN YOUR COMMUNITY
By H.M. Cauley
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/18/07
Growing up in a small village in Nigeria, Onyeka Ibe knew no working artists. He had no role models for his passion and little support from friends or his mother.
"She was reluctant for me to get into art," Ibe said. "She didn't think I could make a living from it. I started to think that maybe I should do other things, but my dad was the one who said, 'You should do what you want to do.'"
Dad's advice proved well founded. Today, the 36-year-old Ibe has his works in galleries across the United States. He just moved into a house in Brookhaven. And he unveils a show of his latest works on Oct. 25 at the Huff Harrington Fine Art gallery in Buckhead.
"Mine is one of those stories people like to hear," Ibe said. "I started in high school, spending a good deal of time making drawings. I always dreamed that one day I would show my work in New York City and around the world, alongside other prominent artists. But when I told my friends that, they'd laugh at me."
At 16, Ibe entered a government-sponsored competition in Lagos, Nigeria, and took first prize. "What I did was of such a high quality that I had to put on a demonstration for the judges to show them I actually did it myself," recalled Ibe with a laugh.
That recognition led to other awards, including a scholarship to study art. After graduating from college, he began showing his works in Lagos, where he immediately caught the eye of American, British and Italian residents.
"At one point, the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria had a private show of my works in his house," Ibe said. "People got to know me and started telling me I need to visit the United States."
Ibe's first trip to this country came in 1998. He was sponsored by Ebony magazine and Magic Johnson's "Mid-summer Night Magic," a charity event for indigent African-American students. That same year, he visited Atlanta and conducted workshops for high school students about his art.
In 2006, he was named the best solo artist at the International ArtExpo in New York, where his dream of showcasing his work with other great painters came true.
It was soon clear that Ibe's future was in this country, but he had no desire to settle in New York. "When I first came to the U.S. six years ago, I was in Boston and New York, and I thought they were both kind of big," he said. "But when I visited Atlanta, I thought there was a great balance. I could get the best of the city and the country here."
Ibe's new home had a large lower level that he easily converted into his studio. From there, he's working on landscapes and portraits inspired by his travels around the world.
"All the places I've been to are the influence for most of my work," he said. "And it tends to be more abstract. But I think people can see how much I pour into each work."
They can also see that Ibe made the right choice in following his heart. "Even my mom changed her mind," he said. "She really began to support me. It's just that people making a living as artists is not something you see a lot in Nigeria. Even here, I often tell people I'm an artist and they ask, 'What else do you do?' I don't do anything else: Art is what I love to do every day."
5 things you didn't know ... about Onyeka Ibe
1. He goes by his last name, pronounced "e-bay."
2. He loves bananas. "They remind me of home. We had banana trees in the backyard."
3. He's a fan of celebrity gossip.
4. He is the oldest of six children. His three sisters and two brothers live in Nigeria.
5. His father has been his biggest influence. "He was always there to remind me that I was born with a talent that couldn't be hidden."
If you go
Works by Onyeka Ibe will be on display at the Huff Harrington Fine Art studio, 4240 Rickenbacker Drive, from Oct. 25 through Nov. 24. A free reception for the artist will be held Oct. 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. Info: 404-257-0511, www.huffharrington.com.
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