Onarietta Remet, painting since 18 months old

Onarietta Remet made her first painting at 18 months. The painter, photographer and graphic designer is now seven years old. The eldest of three siblings, she is the granddaughter of Ben Odiase, who composed Nigeria’s national anthem.

Onarietta’s younger sister, four-year-old Onatteni, is also a painter. She already has 75 paintings and continues to churn out more. It is no wonder that the two sisters are applying themselves this way as artistry runs in the family. Their parents, both painters, have put in time and energy to help develop their daughters’ talent.

“The consciousness of the father to the child’s ability to grow up to and meet a need in society is important because parenting will affect the outcome of the society through the child,” says Pius Remet, the girls’ father. The landscape designer, who is self-employed, works closely with his daughters.

“My children grew up seeing art around the house - colours and brushes - and since children learn by what they see, it only made sense that they picked it up at such young ages,” he adds.

Onarietta says her life is inspired by art. “I am happy when I paint. I am inspired by the colours and everything,” she said.

Her works are influenced by her thoughts. Before she paints, she thinks about the task ahead and then seeks approval from her parents. It takes her a few hours to a month to finish a painting, she explains. She then points out an abstract painting that took her a month to complete.

Baby genius

How does this Basic Two pupil balance school and her art? She follows a routine thanks to a mapped out schedule that allows time for her homework, splashing colours on canvas or using her father’s computer to treat her photographs using different software.

This explains the 307 paintings she has done and the stacks of photographs she has in her collection. Apart from working on artworks, she has also done solo exhibitions and a joint exhibition with her younger sister.

Her first exhibition was held when she was two at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, in 2006. Her second exhibition, still at the age of two, titled ‘The Wonders of a Baby Genius’, was at the Didi Museum. With five exhibitions under her miniscule belt, she has had live painting sessions on TV shows like ‘Moments with Mo’ and ‘Young Scholars’ and on foreign and local television stations. Her story has been used to inspire many young people who seek a creative outlet for their talent at whatever age. Her works have been shown in different parts of the world and recognised by different organisations across the globe.

Family brand

Onarietta loves painting abstracts and faces. She has created works to mark this year’s Children’s Day.

“I want to spend this Children’s Day with my friends and play with them at the City Mall,” she says. “I want to use what I do to touch the lives of my fellow children. They should not give up.”

Her father, Pius Remet, says [his family] is building a brand that will help children embrace what they do through products, programmes, books and other activities.

“This brand is a wonderful venue to encourage other parents to do the same and pay attention to the child’s strength,” he says.

“It also gives children the opportunity to build their character. They can design things and make money. For example they can design T-shirts now and grow up to own their own companies.”

“Children might not understand it now but when you help them through art, it initiates the thinking process. It is painting for Onarietta but could be something else for another child.”

He and his wife have a manuscript they hope to publish with the assistance of the public.

“We want to use Onarietta’s story to help people. We are recipients of society so it is important that we use this as a means to give back. We hope to inspire people. We are doing it with all our might because we want to show Nigeria in a great way to the world. We want to bring out the best in every child through this. God help us,” he concludes.