We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chibuike Mewu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Chibuike , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I’ve always made drawings as a kid, I also read some comics. But I never thought one could have art as a career especially in this part of the world(eastern Nigeria). I didn’t see a lot of artists growing up and those I saw were mostly hobbyists till I met Ezeibe Aguwa. He released a comic book series “The Black Thunder” in the early 2000’s and all the kids and even adults were going crazy about it. Luckily for I and my friends, he was teaching in the same school where my mom taught, so I was able to meet him and got closer to him. Soon I would begin to go straight to his house after school to watch him draw both traditionally and digitally(He’s the first person I ever saw working with a laptop). He would also gift us free copies of his comic book and ask us to copy them as assignments. Watching him, I saw the possibility of also turning this activity that brought me so much joy into a career as an adult just like he did.
Chibuike , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am both a painter and illustrator. While studying at Nsukka art school I was doing more of illustrations for clients and that was my major source of income and focus for a while but it didn’t really satisfy all my creative desires. I wanted to tell my own story and share my own ideas because I had a lot of them and I believe the world would benefit greatly from it. So in a way I commissioned my self to start creating “fine art” paintings which I use to convey the ideas, aesthetics, feelings and stories I want to see in the world.
Each time I finish a piece, I feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that a thought, feeling or idea that has previously existed only in my head has been birthed physically. I talk about a whole range of issues relating to humanity through my work but most especially the relationship between an individual with him/her self and how it reflects in their social, cultural, political, economic environment. I strive to portray the feeling of hope as it is the only thing that keeps humanity going no matter how bad situations get.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I’ve been faced with a lot of tests as a creative. I call them tests because if you’re able to pass them you’ll be duly rewarded. One of such tests occured during my youth service year in Kogi State, Nigeria. I had ran out of art materials and also the motivation to even lift a brush. I resolved in my mind that I will get a teaching job or any job at all immediately after service and maybe do art on the side. It didn’t take long before I started to regret that decision as I became increasingly restless, looking for a means to express my suppressed creativity. I was reminded of a quote a friend of mine posted “until you get what you want, make good use of what you have” Well, I only had some few drops of acrylic paint, pen, some charcoals and note books. I got to work with what I had and soon I was proudly looking at some beautiful pieces scattered in my one room apartment. I promised myself to never give up on my dream again and to keep creating no matter the situation.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Patronage! Art is very important to the society and the artists that create art are also important. If people stop paying artists to create art for them or buy existing pieces from artists, in the nearest future art and creativity in all its forms will cease to be, and I can’t even imagine what that kind of world will look like. Especially with Artificial Intelligence improving in the wrong direction everyday, I think those who truly believe in humanity should now stand up for true human creativity and connection and one way of doing that is to buy artworks from a living artists. I don’t know any artist that is unhappy when their work is sold. The best form of support for artists remains patronage.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chibuikemewu.crevado.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mewu_chibuike?igsh=YzV6MDhua2UzZ3dl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15zAJQPXxH/
