"Expressing your history through art" Interview with african artist Jems Koko Bi

Jems Robert Koko Bi is an african artist, who was born in Ivory Coast and lives in Essen, Germany. He left Ivory Coast for studying art abroad in Germany. 

Leaving his home was not easy for Jems. This is why he expresses his own history in his artwork. "The best way to be an artist is to be yourself", he says. Serious work and endurance is very important to him. "Anyone who gives up because the world of art is hard, doesn't understand what art is", he concludes. Until now, each of his artworks has been a challenge for him. "It is always hard to find the harmony between myself, my history and the material", Jems says. 

One of his hardest artworks was making the sculpture of Nelson Mandela, he had to use 

27, 000 pieces of wood to make this portrait. However, the struggle was worth it. The sculpture can be viewed in the downtown city of Essen. 

Jems Koko Bi: Babylon ( http://www.jemskokobi.com )

Jems Koko Bi: Darfur ( http://www.jemskokobi.com )

"I live and sleep photography"

Mia Collis is a documentary photographer from Kenya. Mia majored in anthropology, directed her own two short films and works for the film world in different parts of the world.

When did you take your first photo?

When I was 13 in my first photography class at school. I photographed a statue of a woman holding a baby in the school grounds. The picture wasn't very good at all, but the teacher used it as an example to teach the class dark room work. I got a boost of confidence that made me believe that I was able to take a good photograph.

How has photography influenced your life? 

Visually it has made me look at life with a much more detailed eye. I'm forever checking out whats happening with light and am always fascinated by human behaviour and interaction. If I'm not at the film company, on a photo shoot or editing images, I'm thinking about how to better a project or I'm working out the next story to tell or how I'll get a project funded. I live and sleep photography.


What does creativity mean to you? 

Tapping into that spark or feeling, that is innate in all of us, and then being able to move or inspire people by channeling it in the right way.

What are themes of your work? 

As a documentary photographer, I'm fascinated by people and their stories . But I have also recently been shooting an elephant story. Within this spectrum I've been inspired lately by movement. When people are dancing or moving it's much easier to capture that raw emotion. I'm also inspired and like to work with natural light, a lot more than artificial light.

If you could work together with a young artist, what would you tell and show him?

 As a relatively young photographer myself and with still an enormous amount to learn in the photographic field, I'll pass on a wisdom that was recently relayed by my mother to me. She is a very gifted artist. She said success and 'making it' creatively is persistence. Take the rejection which there maybe a lot of in the beginning. Many talented and gifted people will give in and give up at this stage. But weather the storm, persist with it and you will get there. Follow your bliss.

                                                       

  "Disabled Dancers" by Mia Collis

"Elephants Dust Bath" by Mia Collis 

www.miacollis.com 

"Without Borders" Interview with Richardson Ovbiebo, rising star in the Nigerian art scene

"I always wanted to be an artist", says Richardson Ovbiebo, one of the rising stars in the Nigerian art scene. He works in the huge metropolis Lagos, which is the second most populous city in Africa.

Richardson gets his inspiration from nature, fashion, architecture and mundane objects. However, it is not always easy for him to gather material for his work. Often Richardson uses discarded parts of bicycles, not only because they are an important means of transportation but because they are very problematic litter, this is explained by Richardson more extensively on his blog: http://greybagstudios.blogspot.com/.  His artwork usually concentrates on social criticism. 

Currently he is focussing on a series of works titled "Without Borders".

                                 
                                            
                                          "Without Borders" by Richardson Ovbiebo

                                         "Frozen Dreams"  by Richardson Ovbiebo

                                                                

"Surge" by Richardson Ovbiebo

"My parents and life in its originality were my inspiration"

Professor Oga Steve Abah from the Theatre for Development Centre (TFDC) at the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria, speaks about exploration in the creative process and his inspiration that often came from folk stories that he listened to while growing up in a village in Nigeria.

What inspires you? 

I grew up in a typical rural village in Savannah region of the Middle Belt of Nigeria. I ran around the forest as a child playing, I went to the farm with my parents and watched crops grow from seed to maturity. And in that environment I listened to folk stories by the flaming fires as my parents and other adults told us stories. The stories were of life, growth, death and collective living. I knew then that I wanted to make things happen for the benefit of people because the I-syndrome was not top most in people's lives. My parents and life in its originality were my inspiration.What I set out to do later in life took off from all these

What difficulties did you encounter when you were young?

I don't know if I want to cast them as difficulties, because all of us in the village grew up in the same circumstance and it was fun! Ok, maybe I could have done with riding a bicycle seven miles to school every morning and afternoon instead of walking!  But we survived!!

Why did you decide to become an artist? 

 

I like the idea of expressing myself, exploring ideas and being creative instead of taking people's taken-for-granted positions on issues. And I know that the creative process allows such exploration and experimentation.

Which project are you working on right now?  

I am coordinating a project of empowering youth groups and community-based organizations in the Niger Delta to promote peace and development. Theatre for development and participatory video are the main tools in the project.

  

In one sentence, what advice would you give young artists if they want to pursue their dream?  

Be dogged, determined and pursue your dream of making the world better, even when it is difficult.

 Theatre for Development Centre