YARUYA - Nigerian bronze casting with Samson Ogiamien

Termin:
Fr., 27.06.2025 bis So., 29.06.2025

Dauer:
3 Days

Zeiten:
9 bis 17 Uhr; inkl. 1,5 lunch break
Times may vary on individual days depending on the progress of the process.

Ort:
Nature park Pöllauer Tal
Meeting point 9:00 Uhr in front of the tourist office Pöllau

Zielgruppe:
Adults, young people aged 13 and over; beginners, moderately advanced, advanced

Workshop Description:

In this workshop, the bronze casting technique from the Kingdom of Benin, Nigeria will be applied.Samson Ogiamien will give an introduction to the tradition of bronze casting of the Igun Eronmwon and explain the ceramic bowl casting process. You will cast a small bronze object.

You will mould your object from wax. The wax is coated with fireclay and then burnt out before the molten metal is poured in. Afterwards, burrs are removed and the surface is finished. Finally, you will receive a figure made of 500 grams of bronze.

No prior knowledge is required for the workshop. This three-day course is very intensive and requires full-day attendance.

The Igun Eronmwon, also called the royal bronze casters, produced and still produce the highly sophisticated bronze sculptures of the Kingdom of Benin, Nigeria, which are now scattered all over the world. The members of this guild live and work in a neighbourhood of Benin City called Igun Eronmwon, which is also the hometown of Samson Ogiamien. Yaruya means in the Edo language: ‘Here we are!’ The willingness of the royal bronze casters in Benin to work for their ruler finds its ritual expression in a song in which the word ‘Yaruya’ is repeated as a refrain.

Please bring with you:

Work clothes, if available: Hammer and small chisel

Material contribution: 85,- € material contribution per person for bronze, wax, fireclay, all material (firewood, wax, bronze, plaster, brick spraying, fine sand and tools will be provided by the artist.

Price:

€ 380,- (excl. Materialkosten)

Workshop leader

Samson Ogiamien was born in Benin City in Nigeria and has been a freelance artist in Graz for several years. After completing his academic training, specialising in art and design as well as art welding, and setting up and running a sculpture workshop in his country of origin, he came to Austria in 2004. Here, the young artist attended the two-year masterclass for sculpture at the Ortweinschule in Graz, which he completed with honours in the summer of 2007. In 2014, he was awarded the Art Promotion Prize by the City of Graz. He has participated in international festivals and art exhibitions in Austria and Sri Lanka.

Samson Ogiamien sees his art as a bridge between cultures and as an opportunity to bring people together. ‘I see my art as a medium for communication. It can and should provide material for discussion. That is the power of art to connect people’.

www.ogiamien.at

Here are some impressions from Atelierklasse 2024.