To Have and to Hold: Hezekiah Obidare

The Kaduna Fashion and Art Festival (KAFART) is back this year for its 6th overall edition and 1st edition as a biennial. The theme is “To Have and to Hold.” We had earlier spoken to the festival director, Ganiyat Sani, about what this edition promises. We spotlight some of the exhibiting artists and designers, asking them questions about their creative origins, their distinct interpretations of the theme, and how their heritage and local communities shape the narratives they choose to preserve against the threat of erasure.

Take us back to where your relationship with art began. What are your earliest memories of making, and who or what first made you feel that creating was something you could do, and perhaps needed to do?

My relationship with art began with a natural curiosity about the world around me and a desire to express things that words alone could not fully communicate. Growing up in Ipetumodu, Osun State, Nigeria, I was surrounded by cultural expressions, traditions, and everyday experiences that gradually shaped my artistic imagination. I came to understand that art was more than making beautiful things; it was a language through which I could communicate emotions, tell stories, and preserve memories.

Over time, painting and drawing became important ways for me to explore my thoughts and respond to the society I live in. I discovered that I could use images, symbols, colours, and forms to communicate experiences that might otherwise be overlooked.

Today, my practice has expanded into different materials and approaches, including my growing exploration of ceramics. I am particularly interested in the relationship between the human head and the pot, two forms that carry profound meanings for me. The head represents human identity, consciousness, and experience, while the pot speaks to heritage, usefulness, endurance, and the things we carry from one generation to another.

For me, becoming an artist has been a continuous journey of discovery. I create not only because I want to express myself, but because I believe art has the power to preserve our stories, question our realities, and give lasting form to things that matter.

This year’s theme, “To Have and to Hold,” asks what we choose to hold, what we let go, and the cost of holding on. When you first sat with those words, what did they stir in you, and how do they show up in the work you’re bringing to KAFART?

When I first encountered the theme To Have and to Hold, I immediately thought about heritage, identity, memory, and responsibility. To me, holding something is not simply possessing it; it is accepting the responsibility of protecting, understanding, and passing it on. There are things we inherit that are too valuable to abandon, even when the world around us is changing rapidly.

As an artist from Ipetumodu, I feel a strong responsibility to hold on to the cultural knowledge and traditions that have shaped my identity. Traditional pottery, for instance, is more than an object-making practice. It carries the knowledge, creativity, labour, and experiences of generations before us. When such traditions are neglected, we risk losing a part of our collective identity.

This idea also appears in my exploration of the human head and the pot. I see both as vessels in different ways: the head holds thoughts, memories, emotions, and identity, while the pot holds physical things and connects us to everyday life, ancestral knowledge, and cultural continuity.

The theme also reminds me that holding on requires effort. We must sometimes resist the pressure to abandon our roots in the pursuit of modernity. Through my work, I want to explore how we can embrace change without losing the things that make us who we are.

Tell us about the piece, or body of work, you’re exhibiting. What is the story behind it, and what do you hope someone feels or understands when they stand in front of it?

My artistic practice explores the human condition, identity, cultural heritage, and the relationship between people and their environment. One of the central ideas in my work is the representation of the human head in dialogue with the pot. This relationship allows me to investigate the connection between the physical and the symbolic, the individual and the community, and the present and the past.

The human head is a powerful representation of consciousness, thought, emotion, and personal identity. The pot, on the other hand, represents containment, nourishment, domestic life, cultural memory, and the preservation of knowledge. By bringing these forms together, I invite viewers to consider what we carry within ourselves and what we inherit from the communities to which we belong.

My work is also influenced by my commitment to promoting the traditional pottery heritage of Ipetumodu. I am interested in how an object that may appear ordinary can carry extraordinary historical and cultural significance. Through artistic transformation, I seek to encourage viewers to look again at familiar objects and recognise the stories they hold.

When people encounter my work, I hope they feel curiosity and a sense of connection. I want them to look beyond the material and discover their own interpretations of identity, belonging, memory, and responsibility. Ultimately, I hope the work encourages a simple but important question: What are we holding on to, and what are we willing to pass on to the next generation?

Take us through how your work comes to life, from the first spark of an idea to the moment you know it’s finished. Which materials, rituals or habits are essential to you, and is there anything about your process that would surprise people? 

My creative process usually begins with observation, reflection, and an idea that continues to develop in my mind before it takes physical form. Inspiration can come from everyday experiences, cultural practices, social realities, conversations, memories, or something as simple as the shape of a pot. I often begin by asking myself what I want to communicate and which visual forms or materials can best express that idea.

I work across different media, with painting playing an important role in my practice. I am also increasingly exploring ceramics because of the possibilities it offers for expressing my ideas through form, texture, and material. Working with clay has deepened my appreciation of the patience and discipline involved in transforming raw earth into an object of meaning.

My process involves experimentation. I consider composition, material, colour, texture, and symbolism, allowing the work to develop as I engage with it. I do not always know every detail of the finished piece at the beginning; sometimes the material itself introduces new possibilities that influence my decisions.

One thing that may surprise people is how much reflection takes place before and during the physical act of making. The visible artwork is only one part of the process. There is also the thinking, questioning, adjusting, and sometimes starting again.

I know a work is approaching completion when its different elements begin to communicate the idea I set out to explore. For me, finishing is not simply about making an object look complete. It is about reaching a point where the material, form, and meaning work together to express something honestly.

KAFART asks what endures in the face of erasure and forgetting. Is there a story, tradition, skill or memory from your culture, family or community that you feel is at risk of being lost, and how does your work help you hold onto it?

One cultural heritage that is particularly important to me is the traditional pottery heritage of my hometown, Ipetumodu, in Osun State, Nigeria. For some years, I have dedicated a significant part of my artistic practice to promoting and preserving this heritage because I believe it deserves greater recognition, documentation, and continuity.

Traditional pottery is not merely the production of clay objects. It embodies indigenous knowledge, technical skill, creativity, and a relationship with the environment. The knowledge involved in preparing clay, shaping vessels, understanding their functions, and passing these skills from one generation to another represents a valuable cultural inheritance.

My concern is that when traditional practices receive insufficient attention, younger generations may gradually become disconnected from them. As societies modernise, some indigenous skills risk being regarded as outdated rather than recognised as important foundations of cultural identity and innovation.

Through my artwork, I seek to bring this heritage into contemporary conversations. My exploration of the pot, particularly in combination with the human head, creates a visual connection between cultural objects and the people whose lives, memories, and identities they represent. I want viewers to understand that these forms are not simply relics of the past; they can remain relevant, inspiring, and meaningful in the present.

For me, preserving heritage does not mean refusing change. It means allowing our traditions to evolve without losing their essential meanings. I hope my work contributes to a future in which the pottery heritage of Ipetumodu is appreciated, sustained, and passed on with pride.

What does it mean to you to show your work at KAFART, and how has your community, your city and the way you grew up shaped the way you see and make?

Being part of KAFART 6 is a valuable opportunity to share my artistic vision with a wider audience and connect with creatives, collectors, and art enthusiasts from different cultural backgrounds. I appreciate platforms that recognise the importance of artistic expression while creating opportunities for conversations across communities.

Although I come from Ipetumodu in southwestern Nigeria, I believe art has the ability to connect people beyond geographical, linguistic, and cultural boundaries. Every community has its own stories, traditions, challenges, and aspirations. Through art, these experiences can be shared in ways that invite others to look, listen, and understand.

My upbringing and cultural environment have significantly influenced my practice. My connection to Ipetumodu continues to shape my interest in traditional pottery, indigenous knowledge, and the preservation of cultural identity. At the same time, observing contemporary society has encouraged me to explore broader human experiences, including responsibility, social conditions, identity, and the ways people navigate change.

As a multidisciplinary artist, I see my practice as a meeting point between my local roots and a wider world. I want my work to remain deeply connected to where I come from while speaking to people who may have different backgrounds and experiences.

KAFART offers an opportunity for this exchange. I am excited by the possibility of contributing my perspective, learning from other artists, and demonstrating that stories emerging from our individual communities can become part of a larger conversation about humanity, culture, and the future.

What is the work you haven’t made yet that excites you most, and what do you hope people carry with them after experiencing your work at KAFART?

The work I am most excited about creating is an expanded body of work that brings together painting, ceramics, and sculptural forms to explore the relationship between human identity and cultural heritage. I am particularly interested in developing my exploration of the human head and the pot into a deeper and more ambitious artistic investigation.

I envision creating works that celebrate the pottery heritage of Ipetumodu while examining broader questions about memory, belonging, transformation, and the responsibility of preserving indigenous knowledge. I want to experiment further with clay, surface, texture, and form, allowing traditional references to enter into conversation with contemporary artistic expression.

Beyond the studio, I hope to contribute to greater awareness of Ipetumodu’s pottery heritage and inspire younger artists to explore the cultural resources within their own communities. I believe our traditions can provide rich foundations for new ideas, innovative practices, and meaningful artistic careers.

After experiencing my work at KAFART, I hope people carry away more than an appreciation of its visual qualities. I hope they leave thinking about their own identities, the traditions they have inherited, and the things they want future generations to remember.

Above all, I want my work to remind people that cultural heritage is not only something we receive from the past. It is also something we are responsible for shaping and protecting in the present.

To have and to hold is, for me, to recognise the value of what has been entrusted to us and to ensure that it does not end with our generation.