One thing both visual art and music have in common is the ability to elicit an emotional response. Artists and musicians create works that not only elicit emotions, but also change one’s mood, evoke memories, and provide comfort and inspiration. Because they share elements such as harmony, balance, rhythm, and repetition, visual art and music have many parallels.
Music, for example, is deeply ingrained in our culture, identity, being, and daily lives. They are escapism and solace mediums, as well as communication and reflection tools. Some may consider music to be an art form in and of itself, and they would be correct. Sound and art are intertwined in the same way that paint and canvas are. Even in popular culture, we consume music through a visual artistic lens. The symbiotic relationship between art and music is ingrained in the fabric of our society, from album covers to music videos, billboards, and editorial campaigns.
Art can be used to elevate music by converting it into a visual language that resonates with your soul and never leaves your mind.
Last year, Fuji: A Opera featured digital artworks by Bidemi Tata, a 24-year-old Nigerian digital artist whose works depict the tenets and character of the Fuji music subculture. The works in this exhibition were realistic depictions with a creative flair. These works aim to depict a visual metaphor for a misunderstood musical genre.
The artist chooses to take the viewer to school, bridging the knowledge gap with hyper-realistic imagery that serves as an entry point to a visual serenade that only a Fuji music set can provide. Bidemi used a comic-book sensibility to express a bold representation of the Fuji music subculture, grounding this age-old genre in relevance with new-age technology and the digital possibilities of non-fungible tokens.
His use of surrealist characters to deepen his representation of Fuji and the satirical universe in which he places these characters contributes to the narrative of an unconscious sophistication to Fuji music—a genre that is frequently perceived as crass and energy at a dance.
His colours are warm, burnt, and vivid, with cool accents to balance them out. Bidemi’s deft use of symmetry and repetition lends each image a sense of depth and echo, while concealing a subterranean geometry of triangles that connects the various elements.
These works depict familiar textures of the Lagos urban landscape, as well as the virility of youth. More so, Fuji artists’ not-so-subtle fashion statement, as described with heavy garments that spell extravagance, intricate embroidery to match, and glittering jewellery, all define Fuji fashion as seen in the works.
These artworks would serve as visual aids for each chapter if Fuji music had a religious text read by her devotees. The verses that comprise the epistle would be interpreted by the viewer.
Bidemi Tata is one of several Nigerian digital artists who are utilising technology to reshape how the global community perceives the crux of Nigerian culture. This time, Fuji music is his obsession.