Nigerian sculptor Dutton Bubola made it from waste
A horse made of discarded metal tells the history of a nation at the "Expo"
Photo ■ Osama Abu Ghanem
picture
An artistic horse at the entrance to the Nigeria Pavilion attracts visitors to "Expo 2020 Dubai", as it includes a large number of different unused metal pieces, which the Nigerian sculptor Duton Bobola collected from waste.
The horse, named "Irene Bimi", has become a favorite destination for visitors to the Nigerian pavilion at the International Exhibition to take pictures with him.
The creator of the work, Dutton Popola, said on his personal account on the social networking site “Instagram”, that during the past year, due to the pandemic of the emerging Corona virus (Covid-19), he benefited from collecting a large number of metal pieces from waste, and began making the statue in an artistic way that tells The most accurate details of the history of Nigeria, noting that he finished the technical work last April.
He explained that the statue is decorated with different signs and symbols of different ethnic groups in Nigeria, and is decorated with different cultural icons, decorations and ancient signs that have deep meanings and are related to the Nigerian cultural heritage, as the number plates that form the neck of the horse represent the three main tribes in Nigeria (Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa). , while other panels show Nigeria and Abuja, the federal capital.
On the other hand, the left thigh is decorated with the Ariwa symbol of the northern part of that country, the bronze statue of “Ori Olkin” buried under the thigh represents the southwestern part of Nigeria, and the right thigh bears “Abyan and Ada” the symbol of the Kingdom of Benin.
For his part, the supervisor of the Nigeria pavilion, Jacob Ena, told "Emirates Today", "This horse is a wonderful model that tells the history of Nigeria, as it tells the story of our country as a multi-ethnic nation. Every piece installed in the horse shows the strength of our country."
He added, "What the artist, Dutton Bubola, has accomplished is a genius work, especially as he made the horse out of waste, without the help of anyone else, and the presentation of the work in the Nigeria pavilion at (Expo 2020) gives visitors to the pavilion the opportunity to learn as much information about the history of our country."
symbols and logos
The coat of arms installed on the slits on the left side of the horse is made of a circular mold of bronze, and consists of a black shield and a white wavy sign in the form of the letter "Y", which represents the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers.
The black shield represents the fertile soil of Nigeria, and the two horses that support dignity stand out.
The shield surrounds the coat of arms on the right side in reference to a party called “Io”, a masquerade party of the Yoruba sect associated with the people of Lagos, the center of Nigeria, which has turned into a global multicultural meeting place. Lagos State, as it is a festival held in honor of a president, royal family or oppa in Lagos.
Dutton Popola: “Because of (the pandemic), I collected a large number of coins from the waste, and made the statue.”
• Jacob Ena: “The horse is a wonderful model.. Every piece attached to it shows the strength of our state.”
• The work is decorated with signs and symbols of different ethnic groups in Nigeria, and cultural icons.