By Tajudeen Sowole
Ahead of his major solo art
exhibition, which is scheduled for next year, U.S.-based Nigerian artist, Victor
Ekpuk has started four months’ residency in Lagos, courtesy of Arthouse
Foundation.
The
residency programme and the proposed-art exhibition reflect Arthouse’s
commitment to promoting Nigerian art beyond the primary business of the auction
house. The Arthouse Foundation, a branch of Arthouse Contemporary auction house, is a
non-profit organisation aimed at encouraging the creative development of
contemporary art in Nigeria. Through a residency-based programme, the foundation
provides a platform for artists to expand their practice and experiment with
new art forms and ideas.
To Ekpuk, the opportunity will strengthen his
relationship with the foundation. Last year, his works were on the list of four
artists promoted by Arthouse, The Space,
another wing of the auction house, at Art14, Olympia Grand, London, U.K. Sokari Douglas-Camp, Kainebi Osahenye, George Osodi and
Victoria Udondian participated in the show.
In the last few years, Ekpuk has been coming to Nigeria for a number of activities
after staying away from home in the last 10 years. His visit started in 2013
when he became Omooba
Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Art Foundation (OYASAF) Research Fellow.
For the
Arthouse Residency, the Foundation stated that it was establishing a network
that would support cross-cultural exchange between Nigerians and international
artists, adding that it would embrace contemporary art as an educational model
to engage communities, promote social dialogue and advance the critical
discourse of artistic practices. A number of activities have been lined up for
the artist during the residency.
“During
Victor Ekpuk’s residency, Arthouse Foundation will organise an intensive
schedule of public programming including an artist talk, a five-day workshop,
panel discussion, mentorship with secondary school students, and visits to
university art departments.”
Ekpuk is a Nigerian-born artist based in
Washington, DC. Ekpuk came to prominence through his paintings and drawings which
reflect indigenous African philosophies of the Nsibidi and uli art forms.
Ekpuk reimagines graphic symbols from diverse
cultures to form a personal style of mark making that results in the interplay
of art and writing. His work frequently explores the human condition in
society, drawing upon a wide spectrum of meaning that is rooted in African and
global contemporary art discourses.
He obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree
from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Nigeria in 1989. He developed his
minimalist approach of reducing form to constituent lines while working as a
cartoonist for Daily Times, a leading
Nigerian newspaper, in the 1990s. His works have been exhibited in acclaimed
international venues including the Krannert Art Museum (Illinois), the Fowler
Museum (California), the Museum of Art and Design (New York), the Newark Museum
(New Jersey), the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC), the New Museum of
Contemporary Art (New York), the Dakar Biennale (Senegal) and the Johannesburg
Biennial (South Africa).
Most recently, Ekpuk was featured in
exhibitions at the Hood Museum at Dartmouth College and the 12th Havana
Biennale in Cuba early this year. Arthouse Contemporary sponsored Ekpuk’s inclusion
in the Havana Biennale.
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