Victor Ekpuk

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Artist Victor Ekpuk Victor Ekpuk Headshot.jpg
Artist Victor Ekpuk

Victor Ekpuk (born 1964) is a Nigerian-born artist from Uyo in Akwa Ibom State. [1] He is currently 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. [2]

Contents

Early Life and Influences

Born in southern Nigeria, Victor Ekpuk's contemporary artwork draws upon early visual influences from the male-oriented Ekpe secret society found within the South-South and South-Eastern region. [3]

Work

Leon on Me (2000), The Phillips Collection Leon on Me by Victor Ekpuk.jpg
Leon on Me (2000), The Phillips Collection

Ekpuk's work frequently explores the human condition of identity in society. [4] It draws upon a wider spectrum of meaning that is rooted in African and global contemporary art discourses. [5] [6] In 1989 Victor received his Bachelor of Fine Art degree (BFA), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Nigeria, where he first explored the aesthetic philosophies of Nsibidi. [7] Its economy of lines and encoded meanings led him to further explore drawing as writing, and to the invention of Ekpuk's own Glyphs. In a 2017 issue of Diaspora Quarterly, Visual Collaborative cited Ekpuk's work on the heritage of Africa art. [8] In 1991, Ekpuk joined the Daily Times Nigeria (DTN), a government-controlled media outlet. [9] Ekpuk joined DTN as an illustrator between June 17, 1991, and October 29, 1997, at the Daily Times of Nigeria, and was responsible for developing visual material for columns in the Daily Times and its related publications. [9] Despite the tense political climate, arising from authoritarian military rule in Nigeria, Ekpuk delivered several thought-provoking satirical designs that traversed the political terrain in the country. His unique style consisted of political cartooning and his own unique Nsibidi inspired illustration. [9] A notable example of illustrations from Ekpuk's time with DTN are from The New Agenda: Behind Abacha’s Game-Plan, an article covering the bloodless coup d'état that removed Ibrahim Babangida from his seat as military head of state. [9]

Images

Collections

His artworks are in private and public collections, such as Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African Art, [10] Newark Museum, The World Bank, University of Maryland University College, Hood Museum, United States Art in Embassies Art Collection and the Fidelity Investment Art Collection.

Exhibitions

Ekpuk's work have been featured at venues including: Krannert Art Museum, [11] Champaign, Illinois; The Fowler Museum, Los Angeles; Museum of Art and Design (MAD), New York City; Newark Museum, New Jersey; The World Bank, Washington DC; Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of African Art, Washington DC; New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York City; Johannesburg Biennial, South Africa.

References

  1. ↑ Osikhiana, Onekpe. (2020). Emergent Trends in Nigerian Contemporary Painting: An Advocacy for Visual Literacy.
  2. ↑ "NIGERIA. Nigerian artist Victor Ekpuk lands in Virginia" Archived 2018-09-24 at the Wayback Machine , Artmap, 9 September 2011.
  3. ↑ Peek, P. M. (2016). [Review of Auto-Graphics: Works by Victor Ekpuk. Ukara: Ritual Cloth of the Ekpe Secret Society, by Hood Museum of Art]. African Arts, 49(2), 84–86. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24720743
  4. ↑ "Victor Ekpuk: I am trying to create contemporary sacred objects" Archived 2016-09-14 at the Wayback Machine , AfricaServer, 13 March 2008.
  5. ↑ Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi, "Memory is central to Victor Ekpuk's artistic practice. It encompasses the received, appropriated, lived, and imagined" Archived 2014-04-15 at the Wayback Machine , Contemporary And, 2013.
  6. ↑ Jessica Bailey, "Victor Ekpuk", Akala, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Victor Ekpuk – artist", Seeds and Fruit, 24 September 2009.
  8. ↑ "Ade Olufeko/Visual Colabo Q&A". Diaspora Quarterly. Archived from the original on 2 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Sytsma, Janine (2021). "Hidden Elements: Victor Ekpuk's Illustrations for the Daily Times of Nigeria" . African Arts. 54 (4): 42. doi:10.1162/afar_a_00611 – via Project MUSE.
  10. ↑ "Victor Ekpuk". Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Archived from the original on 2020-07-12. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
  11. ↑ "Auto-Graphics: Recent Drawings by Victor Ekpuk" Archived 2017-05-04 at the Wayback Machine , Krannert Art Gallery, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Portraits: A solo exhibition by Victor Ekpuk" Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine , Artslink.
  13. ↑ Daphne Pappers, "Victor Ekpuk resident at the Thami Mnyele Foundation" Archived 2016-04-19 at the Wayback Machine , The Power of Culture, February 2008.
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