Abraham Onoriode Oghobase Metallurgical Practice: Landscape 01, 2019 Inkjet print on fibre paper Work: 61 x 86.4 cm
Metallurgical Practice: Landscape (2019) and Metallurgical Practice: Miners (2019) are part of a long-term body of work presenting a cross-sectional study of Oghobase’s experiences in Jos Plateau region in north-central Nigeria. The work, made up of several sub-series, begins to excavate the metaphoric strata of the landscape, revealing multiple layers beneath the surface of his personal encounter with the unique topography and history of Jos - bare grasslands and ancient rock formations indelibly scarred by human pursuits, past and present.
In this series, mining diagrams from A Text-book of Rand Metallurgical Practice: Designed as a "working Tool" and Practical Guide for Metallurgists Upon the Witwatersrand and Other Similar Fields (London, C. Griffin Limited, 1912) are superimposed on images of the Jos landscape. Just as the land and people today bear witness to the detrimental impacts and legacy of colonialism, the early twentieth-century technical drawings provide an illustrated guide to natural resource exploitation. They serve as a testament to European imperialist pursuits across the African continent, from the Witwatersrand ridge in South Africa to the Jos Plateau in Nigeria.
