Henrie Moweta
Henrie Moweta is an African contemporary visual artist and curator based in Lagos Nigeria where he runs art galleries exhibiting the works of artists from across Nigeria.
Early Life[edit]
Henrie Moweta began his journey of art quite early in his life. Born June 1 1960, in Jos to a Delta state family in Nigeria, Henrie Moweta has grown to be a recognized name in Nigerian art.
He had primary education (1969-1974) at the Saints Patrick’s Model primary school, Sapele Nigeria. Secondary education (1974-1979) at the Saints Patrick’s College (S.P.C), Asaba Bendel State. After his college education, Henrie Moweta went on to pursue tertiary education at the prestigious Auchi Polytechnic in Auchi, Edo state where he took on Fine Art as a Major and specialized in painting (1982-1986).
Equipped with sharpened skills and a creative portfolio, he became a fashion design instructor at the Mac’s Institute of fashion where he raised top fashion design students; including Gloria Onyeama, now his wife Gloria Moweta- an excelling fashion designer in Nigeria’s commercial metropolis- Lagos.
Professional Career[edit]
In the early 90’s, Henrie Moweta kicked off his art gallery- the Henrimoweta Gallery, from the living room of his two-bedroom apartment in Anthony while still being very mobile with his works, in and about Lagos, every day of the week. Afterwards, he rented and renovated a space which used function as a bar/hangout space on Adebayo Mokuolu Street Anthony Village, just below the same residential building where he lived. This became the first official company address and headquarters today. In the years following, he participated in ‘Merchants of Aesthetics’- a major joint art exhibition held in Lagos which promoted the works of contemporary artists such as Ini Brown, Nsikak Essien, Abraham Onobusere and other active contemporary artists at that time.
His first Art international art exhibition took place in the year 1997 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Today, Henrie Moweta is the Managing Director of Henrimoweta African Art Centre which stands today nearly 2 decades old, and housing thousands of art pieces from a broad range of Nigerian artists, expressed in a variety of techniques and creative media, such as canvas, wood, metal, fiber glass, clay, plastocast, bronze and burned wood.
Henrie’s memorable pieces include ‘Ikombi dance’- a metal relief work that was jointly executed by talented Nigerian artist Ojo Campbell and commissioned by Bar. (Mrs.) Paul Usoro, as well as ‘Unity of Purpose’- a six-feet fiberglass work that depicts the latent power in uniting to achieve an agreed purpose. This piece was put together alongside talented Nigerian-born artist- Roland Osawe.
Henrie has commissioned works on several platforms, some of which include Past Nigerian President- Obasanjo Solidarity forum, W.I.S.T.A (Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association). He has actively participated in exhibitions locally and internationally with his works still being traded, auctioned and exhibited on independent platforms all over the country.
The Henrimoweta African Art Centre[edit]
The Henrimoweta African Art Centre started in a ground space of a residential building just below Henrie Moweta’s 2-bedroom apartment and adjacent what used to be Clara and Stella supermarket. However, Clara and Stella moved to a different site and Henrimoweta acquired this space shortly after in order to expand. This expansion created opportunities for larger exhibitions, rental, as well as art coaching/mentoring classes. For a time, it was reputed to be the largest art gallery on the Lagos Mainland. Some years after, Henrimoweta closed the expansion wall and returned to its previous size. The partition was later taken up by a pharmacy called Medvault.
In June 2017, Henrimoweta African Art Centre opened a second gallery space located in Victoria Island Lagos. It is a modern compact space with a collection of contemporary African art, sculptures, and masterpieces.
Artistic expression and Influences[edit]
Henrie Moweta explores a couple of media but has a strong liking for acrylic because of the subtle finish it gives to his works. A lot of his works are surreal/abstract in nature and his inspirations are drawn from his immediate surrounding (people and places) in the busy Lagos metropolis. As a young artist, he was particularly drawn to the style of Feliks Topolski- a Polish-British expressionist artist born in 1907, who was also the official war artist portraying battlefield events for Great Britain and Poland governments during World War II.
Awards and Commendations[edit]
Henrie Moweta has received accolades from both private and public organizations for his contributions to art, culture, and entrepreneurship in Nigeria. He has been awarded by Associations such as the West African Students Union (WASU), Lions Club International, and other Non-Governmental Organizations for his roles in supporting education, youth empowerment, and humanitarian service.
Further reading[edit]
External links[edit]
References[edit]
This article "Henrie Moweta" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Henrie Moweta. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
