Six Swans of female artists display beauty, grace in paintings

'Hidden' (acrylic on canvas, W69 x H77cm, dated 2023) by Baliki Audu.

Useh Akpoghene Caroline, Amaghiro Chiamaka Lilian, Balikisu Audu, Eberechukwu Lucia Okoro, Elizabeth Chioma Ekpetorson and Faith Michael are female artists sharing one thing in common in the beauty and grace of swan bird.

However, each of the artists brings creative diversity to the gathering in. group art exhibition titled Six Swans, which opens on May 25, ending June 1, 2024, at Signature Beyond Art Gallery, 107, Awolowo Road Ikoyi Lagos. Signature Beyond stated that bringing the symbolism of swans into the female-only exhibition adds a layer of depth and meaning to the artists' works. 

 "Swans are revered for their grace, beauty, and transformative nature, qualities that parallel the diverse and intricate works created by our featured artists," Signature Beyond explained. "Aligning the exhibition with the graceful symbolism of swans, the exhibition aims to create a cohesive and immersive experience for art lovers."

Eberechukwu: "My works are embodied by the thrilling aura of nostalgia. Every piece is a re-incarnate of a fading memory, the record of an impactful event or a coalition of the fragments of a soul striking experience and a subconscious bid to immortalize its ethereal essence."

Excepts from her Artist Statement indicated that her works are impression of diverse human experiences and memories, subtly interwoven in carefully laid down brush strokes and dramatic scenes. Eberechukwu hoped to capture and immortalize priceless memories which ‘we’ tend to forget. The works of Eberechukwu create an inviting sweet sour aura of nostalgia capable of drawing in her audience into itself with hopes of causing a reoccurring memory in the mind of the viewer.

Michael: She brings intriguing blend of experimental technique, conversational pallete, personal relationship, existence, experience reality and narratives into into the Six Swans group exhibition.

Her art explores issues surrounding the individual state of being courageous in a world full of oppression. She tells compelling stories of the ordinary man; their struggles, debt, win, and societal acceptance. With mentorship from Uzoma Samuel, and Ejoh Wallace, Michael's art leaped into the personality of a visual artist who understands the strategic processes of how to combine real-life experiences with investigative art imagination. 

Audu: She noted that the Six Swans gathering strengthens her passion in highlighting challenges and prospects of women and the girl child. "As a female artist, my work serves as a canvas for the silent struggles and resilient spirit of women and children," Audu said in her Artist Statement. "Drawing inspiration from traditional henna dot patterns, I aim to capture the essence of the challenges women and children encounter in a world that often impose limitations."

 Ekpetorson: She shares her thoughts on life experiences, disclosing that it inform her artistic practice in the same way the art in itself continues to have tremendous influence over the her existence. "In rendering my compositions, I employ human forms as muse, thereby harnessing my feelings, conjuring memories and putting a stamp on the feeling resident in my work," Ekpetorson stated. "In the past, I have encircled my works within an impressionist – cubist root, right now, all art movement labels are stripped off. I am an artist of diverse expressions, with a penchant for nudes and portraits, this is to highlight the importance of perceiving beyond physical atributes."

Akpoghene: She noted that the fanciest spike that beautifies the environment is the presence of people with traits and colors of different shades, class, look, creed and volume that are unified to encourage accommodation and compassion.  She noted that "Art has been a mediator to addressing societal, political, economical and eco-system issues."

Her art is an awakening for what has been described as "a constant search and alternative to materials innovations." Also imbeded in her strength is "a search to help figure how the creative world can still span without a limitation to a specific medium." Among her aims is to apply materials manipulation with a burning zeal to always infuse something new to each body of work.

Amaghiro: Her works, according to her statement, primarily encompasses quenchless search for her 'whats and whys' through her programmed structure. She disclosed how her search for object of admiration has been a great influence to her creativity.

"For every stroke and smudges realised, comes the struggle and the intention to say something, to make a mark and draw my viewer to ‘come and see’. I consider the art of drawing as the life of every work of art, especially in its rhythmic motion."