City in a Storm

Adul Ganiyu Odutokun was a Nigerian painter, muralist, graphic artist, sculptor and teacher born in Ghana in 1946. He lived in Ghana until he was 19 years of age before relocating to his home country. He enrolled in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained a BA (First Class Honours) in Fine Arts, with a major in Painting, in 1975 and a MA in Fine Art in 1979. He became a lecturer with the Department of Fine Arts at the university in 1976 and would lecture there till his death in 1995. Gani was a member of the Zaria Art Society which was founded at the university. As an artist he loved contradictions. Central to his artistic philosophy was the idea that human existence was filled with a continuum of events resulting from both fate and luck. As a result, he preferred to make his paints very fluid and flowing on his canvas, each one finding its direction and creating its own structures and patterns. He would then add finishing touches to his forms to bring his concepts to life. As a renowned and passionate teacher, Gani left an indelible mark upon every student he taught during his time. His influence as an educator was remarkable and he is remembered by all who admired him till today. In 2018, due to his immense contribution to the practice and teaching of visual art in Nigeria, Gani was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Society of Nigerian Artists for his distinguished service to the society and the nation.

In City in a Storm, Gani attempts to abstractly portray a city ravaged by a storm. His style of rendition characterized by free flowing paints creating different structures and patterns all over his canvas is very apparent. One can feel the sweeping, hazardous impact of the heavy storm in the setting portrayed. The choice of dull, dark colours was spot on for the concept he imagined.