Uche Nwosu, artist and assistant director of the National Gallery of Art (NGA), is an enigmatic experimental artist. Mowed down by a stroke more than a decade ago, he’s still trudging on. He now paints with his left hand, makes exhibitions and marches on unhindered. He says EDOCY UDEZE how it’s been for him all these years.
UCHE Nwosu is without a doubt one of the wonders of the world. At the height of his artistic career about eleven years ago, he was suddenly mowed down by a severe stroke. Now, paralyzed on the right side of his body, Nwosu had a number of options. The right hand was his handy weapon for visiting his canvases with various brushstrokes.
The possibility of giving up painting forever did not please him in any way. So he withdrew quietly and gloomily. He thought for a while and later learned to use his left hand to keep his artistic life always green, bubbly, and active.
In Igbo Land, where Nwosu is from, there is a popular saying that no one of advanced age ever tries to learn to use their left hand. Nwosu has proven that the age-long apocalyptic prognosis is wrong. From now on he marched on, doing his work and painting very effectively with his left hand. He was persecuted about it. So far he has done a few solo shows, in fact far more often than those who are fitter than him.
He was also involved in a number of group exhibitions. On these excursions he proved beyond cynical remarks that he is capable of his craftsmanship. In this chat, as usual, he told how he dealt with it in a way that is now much easier for him. Since he speaks slowly and chooses his words bit by bit, the best way to catch him is to ask him to write down his reactions. All of this is done with the left hand. Still, Nwosu makes all of his bottled intellectual power bank home through written words.
Nwosu, a product of the Applied and Fine Arts Department of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has never hidden the great influence the school had on him. School not only went through the artist, he also learned this restless, resilient, never-saying no and irrepressible approach to life. Even as the horrors of Covid 19 raged on, Nwosu was busy in the studios. Unfortunately, termites destroyed over 40 works of art he was holding in custody. Still, he didn’t give up. He’s not even discouraged.
He states his general attitude towards life, the many setbacks in these few statements when he met this reporter in a chat.
“Covid 19 came suddenly and no one was really prepared for the harsh realities that it brought with it. The effect can be seen everywhere. Companies have closed and people have been released from their jobs. With that in mind, I’ve tried to make things happen for me. I enjoy art. So I immersed myself in my work and used it as a means of expression. So I kept making works of art.
Well, nothing is permanent in life but change. When it became apparent that I had to use my left hand to do things that I would normally do with my right hand, I had to adjust to the new challenge. Perseverance and persistence are the key words. It was a Herculean task at first, but over time I gained more of the hand.
My driving force? Life. I appreciate god for the gift of life. I know four artists who died during the pandemic. So I believe that as long as there is life, there is hope. Love and happiness are also of greater value compared to material things. Let me shock you too. During the total lockdown, I lost 50 of my works to the termites invading the studio they were in. The destruction was total.
But here I am today, still standing strong and making progress. Look out for more art exhibitions from me. This also means more work, as I have to create new works for exhibitions to replace the damaged ones. “
