On the walls of the National Museum Gallery, Onikan, Lagos, the visual expressions in paintings and mixed media are no doubt rich enough to attract attention of enthusiasts.

From glittering beads in digital forms by Daniel Ajayi to pastel in realism of Christian Allison, stylised impressionism of Omoniyi Gabriel as well as Akintayo Akintobi’s rendition in portraitures, Emmanuel Eweje’s hyperrealism and surreal by Ikechukwu Ezeigwe, the show titled, Tales From Within could have passed for a juried event.

Olatoye David’s handling of brush movements in quite a number of his figural show that the gathering of these youths deserve encouragement.

You could argue that each of the works would standout, even among established artists, in fact, Olatoye’s rendition of traditional hair dressing scene titled, Tita Riro comes into focus.

His amazing application of ‘pen on canvas’ in Tita Riro and ‘pen on leather’ in Resurrection strengthened the relatively richness of the group show.

Even as subjective as art is, the exhibiting artists of Tales From Within seemed to have placed aesthetics and conceptual values above escapist contents that most young people engage in under the guise of abstract art.

However, whatever curatorial direction the exhibits lack, the artists made it up with their individual skills, which reflected in the works. Noteworthy is that the show swelled recent increase in the volume of young artists daring financial constraint often associated with organising art exhibitions to express themselves.

The opening of Tales From Within, rightly or not, lacked the usual presence of known art collectors.

But the changing concept of art appreciation, which in the last few years, has been breeding new collectors, may have also boosted the current gathering of young artists at the National Museum.

Young and bold are not the only virtues of exhibiting artists, they have the future so bright ahead with their strokes.

“As a group making its first show together, we are hoping to continue every year,” Ajayi said at the opening.

The traditional artists statements of these ‘Turks’ are as promising as their visual expressions on canvas.

Omoniyi: “Following your inner moonlight, take charge and fill your canvas with the breathings of your heart and arts.”

Olatayo: “Try all you want, to be real and never you limit your creativity or trap it in, else you will explode.”

Eweje: “With God, impossibilities does not exist in art, a time will come sculptures will be made solely of water.”

Ajayi: “Tales from Within is pictorial impression of the inner form of art into reality.”

Akintobi: “Tales are known to be told like stories, heard like mysteries, and undocumented like imaginary events.

But in this context, tales are seen, understood and documented.”

Ezeigwe: “My paintings are thoughts clothed with pigments to communicate tales from within”.

Allison: “Inspiration does not exist, but it must find you working.”

Eweje: “With God, impossibilities does not exist in art; a time will come sculptures will be made solely of water.”

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