Gani was born on 9th August 1946, in Samson’s village, Nsawam, Ghana. His father, Raji Tokun was a cocoa trader from Offa in Kwara state, Nigeria. He moved his family to Ghana when the trade in cocoa was thriving. His mother, Humuani, was petty trader. With Humuani, Gani’s father had two girls and then two boys. Gani was the second of the two boys and the last child of his parents. All their children including Gani, were born in Nsawam, Ghana.
Gani’s mother passed away when he was four years old. Gani and his brother Shuaib, lived with their father, away from their sisters and their father’s two other wives and children. The absence of their mother strengthened the bond between him, his brother and their father.
Even though his father had no Western education, he encouraged Gani to read and to practice Art.
Gani attended the Roman Catholic Primary School, Achiase, Asante-Akin in Ghana from 1952-1954 and the Roman Catholic Primary School, Asamang, Asante from 1954-1957. He went to the Seventh Day Adventist Middle School, Asamang Asante and graduated in 1961, obtaining a middle school leaving certificate (W. A. E. C).
He attended the Modern School of Commerce, Efiduasi, Ghana, where he studied shorthand. He obtained Single Subject R. S. A. & Pitman Certificates in Commercial Subjects. After his graduation, he worked as a clerk for a while in Koforidua.
Gani was a very quiet person who had little to say but much on his mind. From about the age of eight, he was drawing and sculpting. As he grew, he drew portraits of people and took interest in, and learnt Graphics from Mammy wagon graphic designs which was popular in Ghana at the time. He learnt the art from one such graphics designers who is simply remembered as Joe. He is said to have designed many Mammy wagons in Ashanti, Ghana, while he was there.
The struggle for independence had begun in a lot of West African countries in the early 1960s and there was a yearning to cease control of major sectors of colonies in Africa by the indigenous nationalists at the time. Around this time, The Ghanaian government decided to Nationalize its major industries. This affected Gani’s father’s cocoa business and things became difficult for the family. In 1963, Gani’s father got sick and lost his eye sight. The family began to make plans to return to Nigeria. In 1965, 19 year old Gani and his older brother, Shuaibu, left Ghana for Kaduna, Nigeria, with an elder relative. Within a short time of his being in Nigeria Gani got a job with the Nigerian Breweries in Kaduna, working as a clerk . His artistic talent was soon noticed and along with his clerical work, he became the cartoonist for the company’s newsletter and designed posters and souvenir items like greeting cards for the company. He was encouraged by his colleagues at the Nigerian Breweries, to study art at tertiary level.
Gani heeded, and visited the Department of Fine Arts at the Nigerian College of Art, Science and Technology, (Now Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria). He met a professor who upon seeing his portfolio, encouraged him to apply for admission into the university, which he did. Their father’s death in 1970 was even more saddening because he never got to see Gani gain admission into the university to study Fine Arts, only two years after (in 1972).
Gani studied Graphics and painting and was easily an exceptional student of multiple talents. It was as a student that he made the famous Durbar – Emir’s Procession, a large oil painting of 122 x 490cm and Durbar- The Race, oil painting of 122 x 488cm both of which could be described as exciting outbursts of vigour in colour and brush strokes and a celebration of the horse as a creature associated with prestige, and regally dressed royals in a Northern Nigerian Durbar festival. The paintings were taken among the collection of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Lagos (Now National Gallery of Art). Gani graduated with a first class degree in Fine Arts from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in 1975.
Over time, the Zaria Art School has propagated certain schools of thought regarding style and subject matter. In the creation of art in a society faced with the challenge of evolving into modernism, maintaining a hold on tradition was threatened. It was in the cause of this, that some academically trained and some self trained artists thought to merge the new Nigerian /African reality of classic African culture, with external western culture. Natural Synthesis is what it was called by this group of artists.
The artists who shared this philosophy and headed the movement were Yusuf Grillo, Uche Okeke, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Demas Nwoko, Emmanuel Odita, Jimoh Akolo, Soloman Wangboje and a host of others. They formed what was known as the Zaria Art Society.
Natural Synthesis became the philosophy of the the first formal Art School in Nigeria - Nigerian College of Art Science and Technology, now known as the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
For a long period, this was the philosophy passed on to students and practiced by artists of the school. Some expatriate Western teachers introduced some ideas and styles that encouraged a diversified metamorphosis of the Natural Synthesis idea. One of such people was Charles Argent. ‘Argent insisted that the painter must explore colour in order to understand fully its nuances, its hidden character. In the process of doing this the artist unites established theories of colour with his own personal experience with painting processes and media. The artist who seems to have carried Argent’s precepts to their logical conclusion is Gani Odutokun’*
Gani started his career in art academically in 1976 when he was appointed lecturer at his Alma matter teaching drawing, painting and basic design up to Master of Fine Arts (MFA) level. While teaching, Gani did not abandon his studio practice. He is said to have reinstated the Zaria Art School to its position of influence. He believed that art should not conform to old traditions as if art creations were cast out of a mould. Rather they should be a fluid reflection of the dynamism of society. He preferred a universalist approach; hence Gani’s works were outstanding in their depictions of society and could not be confined to descriptions as art from Nigeria, Africa or any one particular place.
This was the place from which Gani saw art and from where he called on many to see and practice art as well. This ideology took things to new heights that allowed for the creation of works of art that were not bound by anything other than that which the artists intended (or perhaps not bound by that either).
He married Elizabeth Millie in 1984 and they had four daughters.
Gani’s art influenced many of his students and continues to do so with many generations of artists, nearly three decades after. Some of the first generation of artists on whom Gani’s art had profound influence include, Jacob Jari, Jerry Buhari, Matthew Ehizele, Murphy Ajayi, Richard Baye, Tonie Okpe, Mu’azu Sani, Philip Gushem, Danjuma Kefas and more. Some artists from the generation after include LasisiLamidi, Ayo Aina, Tunde Babalola, Kaltume Banu, Lami Bature and others.
Gani’s personality, not just his art, commanded great admiration by his students, friends and colleagues. He taught about Life, not just Art and often tried to create a platform on which upcoming artists could find opportunities to show their work and make names for themselves.
Considering the large number of works Gani made from the time he began art academically till the time of his passing at the age of 49, it is amazing to say the least, that most all works had such intricacies as if each was to be his last. He did many works in pencil, charcoal, ink, gouache and oil paint. Common to his use of all these mediums was a show of mastery and control in his strokes. He did a lot of oil works using paint brushes for a long period then later began the experimental technique of liquefying oil paint for which he became popularly known.
Gani did not unplug his art from the society that he was in. It was more that he showed his feelings about the happenings in his society in his art through methods that did not conform to the demands of the world from an African Artist. He made art of various subject matter but most recurrent was the subject of repression of the masses by the ruling class and of the decays and anticipated triumphs of the Nigerian society.
In the time of his career, Gani made hundreds of works of art with strong themes on Politics, The King and Queen series, several Equestrian themed works and more - of everyday victories and tragedies. In 1989, Gani initiated an art society known as The Eye. It was a society of four artists resident in Zaria; Gani Odutokun, Jerry Buhari, Matthew Ehizele and Jacob Jari - all graduates of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Tonie Okpe joined the society in 1991. The society aimed to foster appreciation of the dynamism of culture through Visual Arts.
On February 15th 1995, Gani along with three other artists lost their lives in a car crash on the way from an art workshop/exhibition of metal works titled ‘Vibrations’ organized by the Goethe institute, Lagos. At the time he passed away, he was the Head of Department, Fine Arts, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and the National Vice President of the Society of Nigerian Artists. Since then much has been done in his remembrance and honour that has both preserved and projected his legacy.
