“The hardest thing in the world for someone to do in life is to take what everyone already knows and making it a little better. It is only possible when you think outside the box. But what about the courage?”
Duke Asidere has this behaviour of a school principal for all seasons. He is a visual art principal. Now, the bearded Duke knows everything and a delight to listen to, from English speaking Don to his familiar Warri -pidgin. Duke can compete with Stand-Up Comics on the microphone while on stage, reeling out rib-cracking jokes. He enjoys stretching his artistic debates like a teaching Duke and creating jokes out of every serious issues, leaving his listeners with bone cracks.
Nigerian painter, Duke Asidere, is a scientific oriented scholar, artist, teacher, gallery owner, businessman, Afrika Shrine faithful and exhibition freak enthusiast. “I encourage my team to join me at exhibitions every weekend. Even when they cannot make it, I go ahead to buy the catalogues back to the studio for them to be in tuned with what is happening at the artmarket space. Yes, some of the catalogues are expensive, but one needs to support the artists always and not just popping in and out. The reason I am everywhere all over the place.”
A jolly good fella he is. A times, he is a photographer taking pictures everywhere. “I am not a commercial photographer like some of my friends who are everywhere. They are the celebrities and they are here and there. Even there social media platforms are buzzing with pictures and their stories. Mine is to enjoy myself. I don’t suck the economy sabotage at all. Don Barber taught me photography and he taught me very well. Duke was actually correcting yours truly while both of us were in his Kia- SUV, driving down the Island of Lagos for an exhibition. Yours truly was trying to take some pictures in an automatic format and he giggled and remarked ‘no be so oga’
He pointed out so fast, “the hardest thing in the world for someone to do in life is to take what everyone already knows and making it a little better. It is only possible when you think outside the box. But what about the courage?”
Duke Asidere in a conversation with Ireho Aito 2014
Words/Ireho Aito /images /Duke Asidere archives
iBAND Magazine 