Waiting I

Diseye Tantua is a contemporary Nigerian painter born in 1974 in Accra, Ghana to a Nigerian father and a Ghanaian mother. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Art from the department of Fine and Applied Art at the Rivers State University of Education, now Ignatius Ajulu University, Rivers State. Diseye’s art is famous for his fusion of bold, bright colours and, most times, graphic symbols and expressive texts in a rendition style known as “Afro Pop Art”. His themes are generally centered around urban and social life, inspired by the daily struggle to survive and make ends meet in the city. He lives and works in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State and his works have been widely exhibited at home and abroad.

Waiting I shows a group of women sitting and patiently waiting for a haulage task, normally found in rural and urban market places. Metallic basins which serve as troughs for loading customer goods on their heads can be seen in the background. The second woman on the left can be noticed sitting on her own basin. As they patiently wait to be patronized, the two women on the right can be noticed to be chatting while the others seem indifferent in their outlook. Diseye displays an excellent maturity in his use of colours for this painting as he explores the theme of Nigerian and African women whose spirit of hardwork, resilience, commitment and perseverance is second to none as they strive daily to make ends meet for their families.