Please give us a brief introduction.

Habeeb Andu is from Lagos state Nigeria, I had my education in Lagos. I had my first Art apprenticeship with sculptor Adeyeye Akinson and sculptor Adedayo Dada before I moved to Auchi Polytechnic where i had my National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Painting. After my National Diploma (ND) I did a year Industrial training with the late Ben Osaghae, Jonathan Ikopza and Damilola Opedun in the same year. After my short spell at the National Youth Service scheme, i started practising as a full time professional studio artist in Lagos since 2013.

My works won the ArtX prize for the work titled ‘Blacklist (Candle Night)’.

Did you get a formal Art education or would you say Self Taught?

I got a formal Art education, at Auchi Polytechnic Auchi, Edo State. Along the line, I also developed myself with a wide range of exhibitions and commissioned works.

What’s your experience been like as one of Rele’s Young Contemporaries 2018?

My experience was great. It’s been fun meeting with different artists. It exposed me to other artistic values. I was able to see other people’s works and that gave me insight into getting my art works done better.

How long did your exhibition work take to create? What is your process?

-mThe exhibition works do not take me more than 2 to 5 hours depending on the theme/issues. For instance, 911 work took me two weeks to finish because of the pigments (oil color) used. When working, I allow one colour to get dried before applying other colours, afterwhich, I gum the bones and jewelries, while the ‘Sluggish moment’ took me a week and few days to finish  because of power failure to able to gum the snail shells.

What are your biggest challenges so far?

My biggest challenges so far are the works that took more time than necessary to finish but at the end, they come out masterpiece, after spending so much time.

Also, getting good materials for the artworks pose a great challenge. Sometimes, I had to travel miles to get the materials and they are expensive.

What do you love most about the entire experience?

The opening of the exhibition where everybody at my stand are curious, smiling, nodding in surprise at what they see and guessing what the artworks are about without having seen the description.

What do you want people to take from your work as an artist?

Government at all levels should do the needful in bringing development to the country. Citizens too should be responsible to the government and adhere strictly to the Constitution when necessary.

Please, Tell us what to expect 2018.

2018 will be another great year of achievements, improvement and research to my works. Just sit back and watch out for my ARTX show in November this year.

social media profiles.

Istagram handle: @habeebanduart

Facebook: @habeebanduartist

Twitter: @habeeb_andu