Eni’s ‘new light painting’ illuminates future from Germany

Open Eyes, one of the new light paintings of Emmanuel Eni.

The resilience of painting, from generations to cultures and across regions of the world, never stopped evolving as Germany-based Nigerian artist, Emmanuel Eni adds to 21st century visual lexicon. Eni calls his technique of illuminating the canvas 'New Light Painting.'

Eni's painting technique prides its strength in the ability to coalesce scientific curiosity with artistic virility to generate what the artist described as painting illuminates "the night, and bring sight to the dark." Incubated in his Germany base, Eni's new light painting was shown as Aworan Imole at Mydrim Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos in 2015. During the preview, the artist explained that the “colour is the source of drawing and form,” for the new light painting technique.

Few months ago, Eni, who is also known as 'Blackman in European Kitchen' continued his 'gospel' of fresh painting technique in Germany with an exhibition titled The Boom. Apart from the new light paintings, the exhibition, he said, alo featured some sculptures.

The exhibited works, according to the artist, are among the most important created in Germany since the last 25 years. The sculptures, made in bronze, fiberglass and terracotta included what has been described as "parts of the most unequivocal, celebrated new works such as 'new light paintings' developed, sought after worldwide, patented and shown by the artist."

Contents from the exhibition indicated that The Boom exposed the value of art beyond aesthetics appreciation. Its “transparency and stimulation of growth through collective collaboration of artists,” in areas such as business, politics, for “exhibition organizers, curator and audience to providing insights into the present and future trends."

Arguing that his art has a global view in context, Eni said: "The Boom is also the search of the world for Africa in Brexit times, new Europe, Asia and American political and cultural standpoints, where the search for raw materials, human strength and intelligence is on a fresh match." He noted that The Boom finally rings in a fair relationship in the world partnership through all five continents, in new countries and Africa. He explained that the exhibition was an opportunity to see the cooperation on an equal footing, based on what is offered by all and its management. He hoped people should be able to buy or acquire his art to stimulate equal world growth.

On the future of his new light painting technique, Eni argued that "till a new material can stand the test of time, priceless art works only live once instead of a thousand times."

To avoid being confused with some existing techniques in process of art making, Eni warned: "New light painting art“ is not Stained glass or Lithography."

He boasted being the person that  "discovered patented" the new light painting. "The Universal Sole patent awarded Emmanuel Eni for this Art technique encompasses all works rendered and described as "Light painting and drawing technic."

Still on clarification as regards his new light painting technique, Eni said: "Make a perfect picture that allow the ultimate freedom to play in the discovery of hidden aspects of pictorial composition and its reflection of the outermost, innermost feeling.“

And comes the scientific curiosity of the new light painting, specifically, on what the images radiate when they are in the dark. They show “the kindest, visually most favourable images, behind vivid pictures and strong themes.”

The artist argued that as art arise from the neutrality of their surface colour, his technique “reveal vibrant life behind neutral pictorial reference frames.”

On how his new art relates with colour application, Eni explained that he reduces “aggressiveness of primary and secondary colours within the evocative genre of every particular work, thus showing the soul of  the colour and painting itself, as the inner light surpasses the light outside of it.”  Also, in the area of  of materials’ durability and research on new medium, Eni seemed to have made some fresh inputs. “In combined use of colour, pigment, and canvas, types of materials develop multiple memory during aging, making paintings wear down rapidly over prolonged time.”

In practical terms, he explained how his canvas has customised for the new light paining: “The special canvas, colour pigment used in making is combined to seal the memory of materials and enhance the life of the painting’s matter.
It enables a painting painted in New Light Painting method to be folded, and rolled without damage to the material. Light Painting - Art expand and contract to climate, weathering and light.”
 

Emmanuel Eni, a.k.a ‘Blackman In European kitchen’ with Ambassador Mrs Mobolaji at The Boom’ exhibition in Germany.

Excerpts from Eni’s thoughts: “It’s like when a healer diagnoses through vision of sight in the inner and outer self.
  “The new light paintings evocate very happy surprising feelings. It reserves for the viewer the satisfaction of full breed life behind delicacy of colours and light, in the transparence of pictures. They welcome the audience with a gentle and bright fascination.

From The Boom exhibition catalogue comes a review by Dr Claus Deimel, Director Saxony Ethnological Museum AD. Other works of the exhibition include ‘Israel and Palestine’ Installation / Performance, celebrated poem by the artist that features in over 70 performances across the world, ‘Africanize’, ‘Death of the curator’, ‘Art Merchant’, ‘Junking of the Elephant’, ‘Brightness of the picture’, ‘Elephant’, among.

The artist reeled out some of what he boasted as his achievements. These include Basic Metric scale for Art Products BMSAP  (in death of the curator- drama),  and ‘African Legends performance’, “created to expand and propagate great African Legends and African philosophy.”

In literary aspects, publications of the artist include drama titled ‘Death of the curator’, and poems collections such as ‘Masquerade Undressing’, ‘Kind on Kind’, ‘Fall and Stand’, ‘Universes of Water’, among others.

Present at the exhibition's opening, according to Eni, were the Bavarian Prime Minister, Markus Söder; Dr. Matthias Röbler, President of the Saxon Parliament; Mrs. Ilse Aigner, President of the Bavarian State Parliament; Mr. Thomas Hagel MDB, Karl-Willi Beck 1, Mayor Wunsiedel and District Administrator, and Dr. Ing. Karl Döhler Wunsiedel as well as art patrons, officials, local and international press.