Art

Ikenna Churchill for Ekpo Magazine In recent years, new digital technologies play a critical role in reshaping contemporary art: new methods of creation, sharing, and collaboration. They made art more accessible to an artist’s audience and opened new avenues for creativity. Indeed, it has been impossible to comprehend the changes taking place without having to engage two artists, both of them Nigerians: Viroro and Sena. Digital technologies are changing the way artists work. For Viroro, who integrates digital tools into his practice, they have smoothed the creative process of turning his ideas into reality. He says AI-based applications like Gencraft and StarryAI, along with software such as Sketchbook and Krita, become a big part of his workflow. These tools offer a chance for quick experimentation, where artists can test several ideas and select those which are more compelling to development. In that regard, Sena reports that he increased his precision using digital technology and scaled up his ability to plan and test, rather than going directly to final works. New opportunities have also opened up for collaboration and networking. Social networking sites have increasingly become the area where one can actually get to see the work of others, receive some comments, and establish professional connections. Viroro continues that sharing his works online has provided an avenue to reach out to artists and art enthusiasts all over the world for international collaborations unlikely to have been facilitated through alternative media. According to Sena, the digital space evokes interest and reaches potential clients and collaborators. He bridged the gap between artists and audiences alike by sharing his process online. Digital technology has made contemporary art in Nigeria (and the rest of the world) more accessible than ever before. Digital sharing, virtual exhibitions, and online platforms are broadening artistic practices to wider, worldwide audiences, moving beyond constraining frameworks of traditional physical galleries. Sena underlines that digital platforms allowed him to approach and attract new viewers from around the world, getting feedback helpful for him to polish his art. Viroro also told me that sharing photos, reels, and videos of his art on Instagram and TikTok has really been instrumental in boosting his visibility. This has opened up a lot of exciting new avenues through the use of current digital techniques. “The ability to work both specifically and loosely in digital pre-sketches is a big deal as it allows artists to really home in on their ideas through detailed preliminary sketches before finalizing an actual work,” says Sena. “He usually composes and pours colors into his works, so in the digital sketch stage, after that he wouldn’t have any further problem making his final piece exactly how he envisioned it. Also, sharing this digital creative process through social media finds artists like Sena reaching wider audiences for which, in the past, exposure or receiving feedback would be too far and few. Viroro concurs: “The digital space is a dynamic platform where contemporary art can be reimagined and presented to attract a digitally engaged audience.” The development of digital technologies will prove to be very transformative for 21st-century art. Far from being eclipsed, many artists are embracing this new section in time as an opportunity to explore new innovations and expand on their practices even further. Holography and other virtual approaches, through high-resolution digital imaging, will serve to explore and relate new elements and notions in the creation, dissemination, and preservation of the art of this stage that continues to emerge and change with each new generation. The experiences of artists like Viroro and Sena, thus, are such that the effects of digital technology will have placed contemporary art into more places than at any time in history, to be literally enjoyed by people from all walks of life. As technology moves forward, this fusion of digital with contemporary is about to open many more doors which basically means that contemporary art remains a dynamic force and an integral part of the landscape of creation. what are your thoughts on Contemporary Art in Nigeria in the digital age? -A piece by Ikenna Churchill for Ekpo Magazine