Victor Ekpuk has built a reputation for championing bold expressions through painting, sculpture, and drawing which customarily contain deep layers of sociopolitical awareness as well as themes such as cultural memory, humanity, spirituality, and identity of the African diaspora. Ekpuk’s latest body of work - titled INTERwoven TEXTures, a title that focuses specially on ‘Interconnection’ and ‘Text’ (or words and dialogue), is his first solo show in the Middle East, and features a good amount of wood - a medium Victor was once very fond of utilizing often in the 1990s and 2000s while he resided in Lagos, Nigeria.
Victor Ekpuk: INTERwoven TEXTures curated by Professor Awam Amkpa. Efie Gallery.
The exhibition, which began on the 28th of September and is scheduled to come to a close on the 21st of November 2023, holds at the Efie Gallery, Dubai's contemporary art gallery, famed for specialising in artists of African origin. Victor Ekpuk, who shares Nigerian and American nationalities is originally of ‘Ibibio’ ethnicity, from an area geographically known as the ‘Niger Delta’. He taps into the richness of culture he innately possesses thanks to growing up in Akwa Ibom State by infusing ‘Nsibidi’ into this new installation. Nsibidi is an ancient system of graphic communication indigenous to the Ejagham peoples of southeastern Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon. The exhibition of painting and sculpture, is intended to be a tribute to the power of dialogue and collective human experiences, emphasizing how interconnected that text, and by extension dialogue and communication can make us feel as a people.
Blues Notes 1, 2023. Blues Notes 2, 2023. Acrylic on canvas. 230 cm x 165.5cm.
The way Nsibidi works involves heavy usage of symbolism and miniature images. Nsibidi does not align with a single spoken language and it is made up of nearly one thousand symbols that can be drawn in the air (as gestures), on the ground, on skin (as tattoos), on houses and on works of art, including masks and textiles. The Nsibidi script explores the concept of condensing forms and concepts into abstract symbols that convey meaning beyond the confines of conventional Western language, graphics, and writing systems. By revisiting this ancient form of abstraction, it engages with the rich heritage and history of the African diaspora, offering a lens through which to contemplate its present and future. Furthermore, it encourages viewers to reflect on the diverse realms of calligraphy, spiritual art, and sacred writings that find expression within hallowed spaces.
Ibibio Girl, 2023. Acrylic on wood. 95 cm x 120 cm.
Ibibio Girl, 2022. Painted steel. 150 cm x 78 cm x 35.5 cm.
On his work, Victor says “I want people to feel the works, instead of trying to read my marks literally. Whether I mine writing systems or just explore the juxtapositions between the old and the new, these are all excavations that serve my work, through which I am marrying classical African forms with the contemporary. Through this exchange of interwoven textures and cultural references, my artworks become a cultural narrative composed of visual symbols, histories, and stories that transcend time and place. If I can, I want my works to be starting points for dialogue, new discoveries into the differences and commonalities among cultures.”
Reclining Woman, 2017. Acrylic on canvas. 230 cm x 165.5cm.
Ekpuk's work not only preserves ancient traditions but also underscores the connections that unite these traditions, transforming them from personal expressions into collective cultural phenomena, highlighting the traditional elements that transform society from person to people, and the threads that run through us all in our unique forms of expression, and INTERwoven TEXTures is yet another testament to a long-spanning legacy that the Washington DC based artist has spent time curating.
Victor Ekpuk: INTERwoven TEXTures curated by Professor Awam Amkpa. Efie Gallery.
Courtesy of Victor Ekpuk and Efie Gallery
Victor Ekpuk has built a reputation for championing bold expressions through painting, sculpture, and drawing which customarily contain deep layers of sociopolitical awareness as well as themes such as cultural memory, humanity, spirituality, and identity of the African diaspora. Ekpuk’s latest body of work - titled INTERwoven TEXTures, a title that focuses specially on ‘Interconnection’ and ‘Text’ (or words and dialogue), is his first solo show in the Middle East, and features a good amount of wood - a medium Victor was once very fond of utilizing often in the 1990s and 2000s while he resided in Lagos, Nigeria.
Victor Ekpuk: INTERwoven TEXTures curated by Professor Awam Amkpa. Efie Gallery.
The exhibition, which began on the 28th of September and is scheduled to come to a close on the 21st of November 2023, holds at the Efie Gallery, Dubai's contemporary art gallery, famed for specialising in artists of African origin. Victor Ekpuk, who shares Nigerian and American nationalities is originally of ‘Ibibio’ ethnicity, from an area geographically known as the ‘Niger Delta’. He taps into the richness of culture he innately possesses thanks to growing up in Akwa Ibom State by infusing ‘Nsibidi’ into this new installation. Nsibidi is an ancient system of graphic communication indigenous to the Ejagham peoples of southeastern Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon. The exhibition of painting and sculpture, is intended to be a tribute to the power of dialogue and collective human experiences, emphasizing how interconnected that text, and by extension dialogue and communication can make us feel as a people.
Blues Notes 1, 2023. Blues Notes 2, 2023. Acrylic on canvas. 230 cm x 165.5cm.
The way Nsibidi works involves heavy usage of symbolism and miniature images. Nsibidi does not align with a single spoken language and it is made up of nearly one thousand symbols that can be drawn in the air (as gestures), on the ground, on skin (as tattoos), on houses and on works of art, including masks and textiles. The Nsibidi script explores the concept of condensing forms and concepts into abstract symbols that convey meaning beyond the confines of conventional Western language, graphics, and writing systems. By revisiting this ancient form of abstraction, it engages with the rich heritage and history of the African diaspora, offering a lens through which to contemplate its present and future. Furthermore, it encourages viewers to reflect on the diverse realms of calligraphy, spiritual art, and sacred writings that find expression within hallowed spaces.
Ibibio Girl, 2023. Acrylic on wood. 95 cm x 120 cm.
Ibibio Girl, 2022. Painted steel. 150 cm x 78 cm x 35.5 cm.
On his work, Victor says “I want people to feel the works, instead of trying to read my marks literally. Whether I mine writing systems or just explore the juxtapositions between the old and the new, these are all excavations that serve my work, through which I am marrying classical African forms with the contemporary. Through this exchange of interwoven textures and cultural references, my artworks become a cultural narrative composed of visual symbols, histories, and stories that transcend time and place. If I can, I want my works to be starting points for dialogue, new discoveries into the differences and commonalities among cultures.”
Reclining Woman, 2017. Acrylic on canvas. 230 cm x 165.5cm.
Ekpuk's work not only preserves ancient traditions but also underscores the connections that unite these traditions, transforming them from personal expressions into collective cultural phenomena, highlighting the traditional elements that transform society from person to people, and the threads that run through us all in our unique forms of expression, and INTERwoven TEXTures is yet another testament to a long-spanning legacy that the Washington DC based artist has spent time curating.
Victor Ekpuk: INTERwoven TEXTures curated by Professor Awam Amkpa. Efie Gallery.
Courtesy of Victor Ekpuk and Efie Gallery
