A young Badagry-based multi-media artist, Michael Tobiloba Titiloye, has emerged the grand winner of the maiden edition of ArtsForChange Competition, an annual scheme by Black & White Ideas in collaboration with the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC).
The unveiling of the winner took place on Thursday January 26, 2023 at the Freedom Park on Broad Street, Lagos.
An ecstatic Titiloye displayed the stuff he was made of when he did a poetic rendition, accompanied by a specially recorded soundtrack for his winning artwork, to the admiration and applause of other contestants, judges and general audience at the ceremony.
His work, an all-green avant garde painting, was unanimously picked by the judges, according to a former Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism in Lagos State, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, who spoke on behalf of the judges.
Titiloye was presented with a cheque of N500,00 0 courtesy of First Bank, the lead sponsors.
Six other finalists, whose works were adjudged to be of high quality and admirable substance, went home with a certificate of commendation and N50,000 each courtesy of the Chairman of Go-bet, Barrister Mike Dada, whose company co-sponsored the event.
According to Ayorinde, the Judges considered adherence to the theme of the competition which was ‘Nigeria: Stronger Together’; creativity, aesthetics and originality of each work submitted before arriving at the winners.
The three other judges are a renowned Visual Artist, Oliver Enwonwu; freelance Documentary Photographer and the Artistic Director and Curator for the 19th Emir of Zazzazu, Halima Abubakar and the inventor of Araism painting technique and founder of the now famous Araism Movement, Otunba Mufu Onifade.
The Chief promoter of Arts4Change, Mr. Titiloye Amzat, said the initiative was instituted as a platform to discover, reward and promote young Nigerian artists who desperately seek exposure and encouragement.
He added that at a time that ‘japa’ (traveling out for greener pastures) has become trendy among the youths, it is now imperative to redirect the attention of youths with talent to positive aspects of Nigeria and to offer them the creative impetus to see the need to speak well about the country by emphasising its unity in diversity.
Entries for the competition had closed on November 25, 2022 with over 500 entries received from all the six zones of the country – North West, North East, North Central, South-South, South East, and South West.
