Eyitayo Tolulope Ijisakin

Previous studies on printmaking in Nigerian art have been limited to exhibition catalogues, scanty newspaper reviews, and biographical sketches on very few printmakers. Despite the resourcefulness of printmakers in Nigeria, printmaking artists and their works remain victims of poor documentation; the paucity of research on this genre of art therefore calls for concern. This study underscores the burden of being the first critical attempt at researching into the silenced vocational and ideological directions of printmaking in Nigeria, from its inception in the mid-20th century to date. It therefore identifies, classifies and critiques the printmakers, the various printmaking events and also evaluates the contributions of printmaking practice to contemporary Nigerian art. The study draws on Narrative theory as argued by Barthes 1975, Bal 1985, and Chatman 1990. This PhD dissertation seeks to construct the history of printmaking and provide an insight into its place in the development of contemporary Nigerian art.

Printmaking constitutes a social matrix as it often reflects cultural images and symbols. Despite the resourcefulness of the printmaking artists in Nigeria, the imperatives of their oeuvres remain undermined by poor documentation. Previous studies have been limited to exhibition catalogues, scanty newspaper reviews, and biographical sketches on very few printmakers. This study therefore investigates the development of printmaking in Nigeria with a view to chronicling its history and contributions to Nigerian art. It identifies and classifies the printmakers; tracks the trend in their audience; and also evaluates various printmaking events, workshops, and training. It further explores the forms and visual richness of printmaking in Nigeria; and examines how these artistic productions reflect socio-political realities of the society. Drawing on Narrative theory as argued by Bal 2009, and Puckett 2016; this study relies on field investigation which includes oral interviews and visual media sources. The study argues that printmaking artists in Nigeria appropriate cultural heritage, aesthetics, and socio-political thoughts from their environment to define new perspectives of national identity.