Beyond The Canvas: Summer 2022 Edition
Through the intricate process of wax-resist dyeing applied to the canvas, Chinecherem creates stylized abstract figurative works embedded with Uli traditional symbols. The artist engages her practice as a creative outlet, and a medium to acknowledge personal emotions, experiences and the harsh realities of women. Chinecherem lives and works in Anambra, Nigeria.
“My works attempt to address the challenges women face in our society, most especially being forced into unwanted marriages. I am heavily influenced by my personal experience—the pain and agony of a forced marriage. While some of these marriages work out, not all of them turn out to be a happy experience. Also, my use of the Uli symbol which was initiated by our forefathers in the Igbo culture translates to parents making decisions for their children.”
Chinecherem Ifedilichukwu
Mofoluso Eludire
Mofoluso Eludire creates expressionistic paintings with focus on the emotions and non-verbal movements of her subjects. In Mofoluso’s work, the artist plays with colours to evoke mood or ideas of specific personal and shared lived experiences which are left open to interpretation. The artist engages with themes related to black female experiences and the universality of humanity. Mofoluso lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria.
“My works attempt to create narratives that speak to the black female experience. My practice interrogates the construction and constraints of identity, whilst offering a space for individual liberation. My subjects are unapologetic black women who at times gaze directly at the viewer. This focus on black women urges viewers to see black women for who they really are and to consider their humanity.”
Nzubechukwu Ozoemena
Nzubechukwu Ozoemena is an architect-in-training whose paintings combine a myriad of sources, such as online and archival images, and family photographs, which blend the past and present. Through the use of suggestive titles, Nzubechukwu’s works engages with themes related to spirituality, memory and community. The artist raises pressing questions about how to create new narratives around concepts of liberty, repression and self-expression. Nzubechukwu lives and works in Benin, Nigeria.
Speaking about this body of work, the artist says, “This ongoing body of work depicts intimate moments in one’s life that are simultaneously public affairs. Alluding to shared experiences within the catholic community, it references personal archival sources from friends and family, highlighting themes of memory, connectivity, community and spirituality using catholic iconography…I take the viewer on a journey that is deeply personal, yet many will resonate with, in celebration of our joint heritage.”