INTRODUCTION
My name is Cletus Oche, a visual artist currently practicing with 2D artworks in ink and acrylic medium. I have an educational background in computer science, and as such, most of my art learning experience has been through personal research and courses. My journey as an artist has been an interesting and challenging one. Of course, there are times when I doubt my choices to remain in the profession, but pushing through is the best way forward.
Can you walk us through your creative process as an artist?
My work is heavily based on drawings, which is where I begin. Usually, I make up to four sketches before moving to the bigger work base. The challenge sometimes is maintaining the same energy contained in the small sketch drawing in the big one.
What inspired this body of work that you are exhibiting?
I think a lot of the inspiration I got for this piece revolve around spirituality, human mind and relationship with the divine.
A number of characters in your works are adorned with jewellery, what does this represent in the overall context of your art?
In some instances, they serve as adornment for the subject while in some other case I prefer to identify the subject through them with their culture.
If not art, what would you rather do?
If not art professionally, then I will definitely do music.
What challenges do you face as an artist?
One challenge in the arts is gatekeeping. As it is a system where galleries and artists work together, most times these galleries believe it’s only through them the artist can be successful hence, deliberately keep collectors from meeting the artists.
Are there artists who inspire you and your work?
Absolutely! Some artist definitely inspire me. Some of them include- Kelvin Okafor, Arinze Stanley, Ioana Pioaru and some others.
What experience do you hope for people who experience your collection to have?
I would prefer each viewer and collector get a new experience where they can even question things they believed before or simply enjoy a bliss of ideas in front of them.
What is the most exciting part of life as an artist?
The most exciting part is also the scariest: knowing that I have the entire freedom to create whatever I want. Exciting because I can discover new things and scary because the outcome is never certain.
Any other words?
Just to add to these, every person’s journey can never be the same, but how we approach our journey can be. So if you are inspired by one of the greats, do not simply copy what they did but how they approached it-in simple words check your values.
