Pen and Lens Collide in Lagos

By ‘Dayo Farore 

 Over the years, Leonardo Da Vinci’s 16^th-century controversial masterpiece, “Mona Lisa,” a oil painting sketched on a poplar panel during the Italian Renaissance, the portrait of Lisa del Gherardini, wife of wealthy Florentine merchant, ‘Francesco del Giocondo,’  has kept many wondering what was on her mind due to the mysterious smile bore by her Italian face. Perhaps if Da Vinci had included a context explaining, the painting wouldn’t gather so much mystery.

Though a Neuroscientist at the Institute of Neuroscience in Spain’s city of Alicante, Luis Martinez Otero who conducted a research with Diego Alonso Pablos claim she was smiling and not smiling, “sometimes one channel wins over the other, and you see the smile, sometimes others take over and you don’t see the smile,” Otero and Pablos posit.

Unlike Da Vinci who seems to express his artistic inclinations coded with mysteries, the Chief Executive Officer of ola.lens Photography, Olayinka Taiwo has a goal of merging poetry with photography through the initiative, Pens and Lens Arts Exhibition scheduled to run its maiden edition from May 6 to 8 2010 at Terra Culture in Victoria Island, Lagos.  With the theme, “The New Face of Art In Nigeria,” the event will feature: Photo on Canvass Exhibition, Musical Performances, Live Poem Recitations plus Art and Photo Competition.

With the notion of bringing photographers and poets together to discuss idea and inspiration; a picture speaks and the poet expresses the message in etched words.

The intiative is co-sponsored by The British Council, Microsoft, M85designs.COM, Core Media, O.K. Pen, SwiftThink and MTN.

According to the project manager, Mr. Ayoola Jolayemi during a press conference anchored by Stephen Alayande and held at the British Council’s Lagos office on Friday April 9, 2010, the event is expected to witness performances from MI, Omawumi, Charles Granville, Omolara, TBOS, J-Pryce and a host of others.

Poets expected at the event include Chimamanda Ngozi- Adichie, Jumoke Verrissimo, Chiedu Ifeizo and Kafayat Quadri. Others are Femi Osofisan, Frank Edoho and Stella Damasus. Also with the attendance of some of the nation’s great photographers like Kelechi Amadi Obi, Don Barber, Lolade Cameroun Cole, Uche James Iroha, T.Y Bello, Deji Olatunde and others.

The Art and Photo competition which will be judged by Barefoot Photographer’s boss, Lolade Cameroun Cole, Kelechi Amadi Obi and a host of others is to come with the following impressive delicacies:

• Winner in photography will have a chance for a scholarship in one of the best photography schools in Nigeria aside other fantastic prizes.
• First and second runners-up will also have a chance for a scholarship at any institute in Nigeria with prizes.
• In the category of poems, the winner will have his/her works published in an international journal collection of poems and also have a chance to study a related course in Nigeria with prizes.
• All other successful entries that pass through the preliminary stage will get consolation prizes.