What's Going On?
“What’s Going On?” was one of the first pieces Ugonna Ikechi knew he was going to create for the IN TRANSLATION visual album. The perfect introduction to the collection, its introspective title echoes the age-old question posited by artists of old, witnessing hatred, suffering, corruption and injustice.
What’s really going on?
This painting, like the Johnny Rain song that inspires it, scathingly critiques the authoritative systems that govern our societies and shape our lives through policy and propaganda dictated by their own beliefs and biases against certain communities. It’s a question mark over and middle finger to “The Capitol” — the symbolic representation of the establishment and systems of power in charge, asking necessary questions to inspire audiences to think about and see what’s going on around them.
It’s the figurative red pill in a 24 x 30 inch frame.
Ikechi, Ugonna. What’s Going On? 2021. Digital on canvas. 24 in. x 30 in.
“A bunch of actors and actresses, lavish in palaces/throwin’ fallacy to the masses and laugh at how it’s/immaculate oh/leader leader stop lyin’ in all your speeches” — this palatial setting exudes dread, the grim actors and actresses there play their roles, which then play their role in the oppression of those outside this menacing space. The red/orange hue represents the blood, loss, suffering and oppression that permeate the air. “Drinkin’ the wine from the Fountain of Youth/I just wanna shine, what am I to do?/What a sign of the times/What’s going on now?” In each hourglass, a red liquid counts down the time left for the everyday man. But is it wine, or something more macabre? Speaking of, The Tyrant’s cape — as it drapes arrogantly over his throne and down the epic steps - transitions from opulent velvet to blood, spilled from the people he has sacrificed. The Fountain of Youth that keeps him alive. In a further display of viciousness, The Tyrant has blood on his boots and a skull in his hand, but he’s incredibly cavalier about both of these facts. The camouflaged guards atop the building’s highest points aren’t necessary either — they’re an excessive show of military force. Similarly, the presence of two Anubis Guards — one on either side of him — mark The Tyrant as virtually untouchable. Two screens on either pillar depict further, very real evils; the modern fear mongering media that peddles faux news, and the SARS Abuse Pandemic that has plagued brothers and sisters in Nigeria for years. Both serve as recognizable, verifiable tools of oppression and division. Unsurprising, then, that serpent-infected “Forbidden fruit” rivers over the building, signifying that The Capitol is a place of secrets and deceit, covering up acts of unthinkable cruelty. There’s nothing to see beyond the scene in focus, creating the dreaded sense that that is all there is. This represents the suffocating way capitalism and other systems of oppression work. They make you feel like that’s all there is, with no chance of reformation or abolition. These are lies, but, “secrets”, right?
Above all this is a helicopter flying a banner that reads “I had a dream that this would make my nights better”. This optimistic phrase may initially seem out of place, but it directly quotes a line from the song, representing both Rain and Ikechi’s sentiments towards art as an escape from misery. Yes, art makes their lives better because it alleviates their stresses and anxieties. There’s much to worry about at any given moment, but art can ease that. Even for a little while. The Helicopter is the only element “in motion”, because it’s the only ray of hope amongst the depression and gore.
“What’s Going On” is the first question in the line of inquiry that continues through the collection. It’s the starting point from which we can maybe figure things out.
Commentary by Imara Celine
Rain, Johnny. “Barry, What’s Going On?” 11, Xodiak, Odd Dream Republic, 2015, track 1. Genius, genius.com/Johnny-rain-barry-whats-going-on-lyrics.