Victor Ekpuk Portraits exhibition catalogue 2015

Page 1

Victor Ekpuk



by Victor Ekpuk

29 September - 24 October 2015, London


Foreword Written by Kefiloe Siwisa Consciousness is the effect of layered states of being; the past or present, trance or wakeful, dream or luciddream. The difference between these is the presence or absence of self-evaluation, and the fluidity or rigidity of time and space. Victor Ekpuk derives his methodology and concepts from these sentient states powered by presence and 'absence', using deep cognisance and intuition to communicate the realms of the secular and divine. According to science, human consciousness is located in the temporal area, midway behind the eyes. In African and Eastern teachings (Paulin Hountondji, 1996), 'higher consciousness' pulsates from the third eye. Emphasis is often placed on the head not only for its biological functions but its relationshipto the soul. Ekpuk uses the notion of the head as the altar of consciousness, to explore the formation of individual and collective identity, in search of the essence of SELF within the mutual core. Ekpuk disrupts traditionalist perceptions of portraiture. His holistic ritual of making compels audiences to connect without distinction between reason and emotion. His work challenges one to reconnect with the introspective mind in an attempt to decipher the layers of his abstract portraiture. The stylization and minimalistic contours as seen in the I Am series of monochrome pastel portraits, are reminiscent of the primeval beginnings of art (Paleolithic rock art). Ekpuk's bold, solid lines incarnate the first phases of life. They depict man as a vessel, carrying the power of 'pure potentiality' (Deepak Chopra, 2007). The floating heads in the I Am series, the exaggerated, graphic features found in the Portraits series, and his play with motifs such as the eye and crown, embody notions of double-consciousness, and the power of insight. The portraits also have sculptural characteristics akin to traditional masquerade masks of Africa; Dogon masks of Mali, bronze Uhumwelao heads of Benin and the Bembe Alunga masks of Congo amongst others. Masks are performed in rituals or used for ceremonies as conduits; man's connection with the ancestors, the path to enlightenment and the spirit of self. "The word iwen used to signify the concept of colour in the Egyptian language can be translated as not only 'external appearance' but also as nature" (Richard Wilkinson, 1994). Victor Ekpuk's use of colour is significant, it endows the portraits with an almost palpable light frequency. It is the face, the pigmentation of an auric skin, exuding a vitality that extends beyond the physical. Ekpuk makes use of primary colours, channeling the levels of mindfulness present in his work. Ultramarine blue symbolic of the cosmic sky and waters, blood red; the life force flame of regeneration, solar yellow and life producing green heighten the predominately dramatic black and white palette found in Portraits‌1-8.


Black and white creates a visual accent that highlights the intricate 'script' inundating Ekpuk's portraits. The spaces between create a dual visual experience of light and shadow, a union between self and other-self. Ekpuk's mark-making emerged from his fascination with ancient, indigenous communication systems, in particular, Nsibidi (Nsibiri). “My limited knowledge of Nsibidi signs today is from memory of observations and documented anthropological archives. My contact with Nsibidi has inspired me to use the essence of this ancient art form to express my contemporary experience." (Ekpuk, 2009). Nsibidi is thought to have developed prior to the 18th century in the Cross River region; in South-Western Cameroon amongst the Ejagham and in South-Eastern Nigeria among the Efik, Igbo and Ibibio people. The Nsibidi system of thought and transmission, which varies according to age, gender, locality and community, is articulated through mime, speech, placement of objects and pictographic and abstract signs. It illustrates the mutability and expansive nature of language. Some Nsibidi signs are widely understood, utilised for public signs, decoratively on walls, ceramics, textiles, and bodies. 'Dark signs' intentionally drawn with dark solid black areas signal danger. While others are shrouded in mystery, withheld by priests and initiates in secret sects such as the Ekpe; an all-male society who use Nsibidi to conceal their secrets and assert authority and rank. Ekpuk has re-imagined a unique vocabulary of evolving, geometric and naturalistic glyphs, devoid of the constrictions of formalized semantics. Ekpuks' glyphs have assimilated nuances of Adinkra symbols of the Akan in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire Ndebele (Bantu) signs, Egyptian hieroglyphics, the Tifinagh alphabet used by the Tuareg people in Algeria and Libya, Ethiopic script, and ShĂź-mom writing from Cameroon. The illimitable nature of his imagined motifs conveys the universality of his inquests. It is open to unique interpretation by the individual, who may draw from their inherited and lived memories, historicity and social locale, constantly recollecting, shaping and creating meaning anew. Ekpuk extends his practice into performance - a black wall, chalk and his hand. Whiteness and chalk is associated with the metaphysical world, the effeminate, the healer, the seer of truth, while black is of the sky, masculinity and masked spirits. Ekpuk's writings on the wall bring these two planes together and share with us an unpredictable space that we seldom bare witness to, one of intimacy, vulnerability, experimentation and spontaneity. Victor Ekpuk's work is a crystallization of a shared consciousness, projected from his rationalized self. He allows us to unveil this complex notion of 'the essence of ourselves' through an imaginary vernacular. Asking us to transcend our cultural preferences for an expanded consideration and realization of ourselves within coalesced humankind.



Victor Ekpuk Ekpuk is interested in consciousness and memory. His work explores individual and collective identities and universal notions of the essence of self. His work draws from African aesthetics and philosophies. He creates paintings; fine drawings that are playful, subtle, yet seriously address the human condition. Through mark-making, Ekpuk has developed a visual language from the re-imagining of Nsibidi (a form of sacred communication in the Cross River area of South Eastern Nigeria that uses symbols to convey concepts) Though Ekpuk employs less Nsibidi symbols in his recent works, its aesthetic concept, the reduction of forms to their barest essentials, continues to inspire the approach to his work. Ekpuk's minimalist lines enlivened by intricate pseudo-glyphs, and his use of bold primary colours, heightens the sacredness and primordial energy that his work unconsciously evokes. Ekpuk's works provide study in the relationship between longstanding art traditions and the dynamism of artistic language. Ekpuk has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions at institutions such as the Smithsonian; National Museum of African Art, Washington; the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; and the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth. His works are housed in international public and private collections. His work has been featured in prestigious biennales; the 1st Johannesburg Biennale, South Africa; 3rd Guangzhou Triennial, China; 11th Dak'Art Biennale, Senegal; and most recently the 12th Havana Biennale. Ekpuk has also been featured in publications; African Art Since 1980 by Okwui Enwenzor and Chika Okeke and Nka Journal of African Contemporary Art amongst many others.

Portraits “According to African philosophy, the head is the seat of consciousness and memory, and our lives on earth are guided by its disposition. These portraits ponder these notions while expressing my interest in consciousness as well as individual and collective identities. I am intrigued by the nature of humans' self-knowledge as layers of memories that are constantly being transposed, appropriated and imagined. I believe that our identities are essentially the sum of past and present memories that are shaped by circumstances. These portraits are perhaps a search for the essence of ourselves.� -Victor Ekpuk, July 2015.


Layers of Memory Written by Juliet Highet In the U.S.A. the curator of an exhibition called Storylines, Professor Francine Farr, wrote in an open Thank You letter to its artist, Victor Ekpuk: “You gave us refreshingly current, sympathetic insights to Africa and African art, reminding us of art's origins in our shared humanity and its power to heal, enlighten and inspire altruistic action… (It is) the most socially and historically significant exhibition I have curated.” Though born in Nigeria, Victor Ekpuk has lived in the Netherlands, Benin and is currently based in Washington DC. He is a global artist and says: “The subject matter of my work deals with the human condition explained through themes that are both universal and specific: family, gender, politics, culture and identity.” Add to this other concepts that are clearly deeply meaningful to him such as fatherhood, an almost reverential respect for women, the proverbs, folklore and aesthetic legacies of his Ibibio ancestors, the hustle and bustle of street-life and marketplace, as well as the lack of accountability not only in his native Nigeria, but of much of the modern world – and you begin to get the message behind the work of Victor Ekpuk that represent highly important concerns for him. This autumn Ekpuk has his first solo show in London, Portraits, a series of paintings and drawings exploring the essence of self. “According to African philosophy, “ he says, “The head is the seat of consciousness and memory. And our lives on earth are guided by its disposition. These portraits ponder this notion while expressing my interest in consciousness, individual and collective identities. I am intrigued by the nature of humans' selfknowledge as layers of memories that are constantly transposed, appropriated and imagined. I believe that our identities are essentially the sum of past and present memories that are shaped by circumstances. These portraits are perhaps a search for the essence of our selves.” With a range of media which includes not just painting and drawing, pen and ink, print-making and digital art, in all of them Ekpuk's style initially comes across as almost obsessively detailed patterns, a disturbed visual stream of consciousness. But as another prominent Nigerian artist, Obiora Udechukwu, puts it: “Pattern, repeated linear marks, rhythm, counter-change, tactile texture, these are central to Victor Ekpuk's practice. Whereas, under a less gifted and competent hand, patterning can easily get out of control and deteriorate into monotony and disorder, under a disciplined and assured practitioner like Ekpuk, repetition is highly controlled, pattern is reined in, ordered. Part of Ekpuk's strategy is to create contrasts, to counterbalance, say muted intricate background patterns with bold single motifs.” In a sense, the effect is densely minimalist and abstract, the result Ekpuk achieves by as he says: “Reducing shapes and forms to their essence, creating the impression of being like script.” For me this idea that script and painted marks are interchangeable is vital to the understanding and appreciation of his work. He is creating a unique graphic language. In fact, Ekpuk is entranced by language, particularly by nsibidi, an ancient ritual tradition as well as an aesthetic blend of symbols with writing. It uses sign systems to convey ideas.Nsibidi originated at least a thousand years ago in south-eastern Nigeria and south-western Cameroon, in Nigeria among the Ibibio group from which Ekpuk comes, also the Efik and Igbo peoples, as well as the Ejagham people of Cameroon.


Nsibidi still plays a crucial role in some secret societies, including the Ekpe (leopard) society. It also permeates Santaria, the African-Cuban religious practice. Its functions are many – its script symbols used to convey information or conceal knowledge, describe philosophy and folklore, to signify status and identity, and as decoration. It has traditionally been applied to the walls of houses, painted on bodies, textiles, sculptures and masks used in masquerades. It represents the visible manifestation of the invisible spiritual world, revealing layers of memory. Although, as Ekpuk remarks, nsibidi is “an open secret”, he was never initiated into it, which he regards as fortuitous, as being an 'outsider' has allowed him to draw on its motifs without being restricted by them, to reinterpret their visual dynamism in his own way. Interestingly, the very essence of nsibidi as an intellectual tradition is its flexibility, which has maintained its relevance (in a largely rural context) due to its ability to adapt to new social and cultural situations. And of all the academically trained Nigerian artists who use nsibidi in a contemporary way, including Obiora Udechukwu, Victor Ekpuk has experimented with it most extensively, reinventing its sign systems with personal forms and meaning. For instance, one of the familiar nsibidi symbols is made up of two interconnecting semicircles, representing the union of man and woman. However, in Ekpuk's Man, His Wife & His Son, he adds At the Mirror. Further mashing up ancient tradition and modern creative application, Ekpuk fuses into his work other forms of African literacy such as the Islamic walaha of Qur'anic writing boards of northern Nigeria, Egyptian hieroglyphics, English derived from colonialism, along with the 'language' of contemporary art – both African and international. He gained a BS in Fine & Applied Arts from the Obafemi Awolowo University at Ile-Ife, Nigeria. But apparently, way before that, as a child and prior to literacy, he was busily drawing. Ile-Ife is the heart of the Yoruba culture of southwestern Nigerian where Ekpuk came into contact with the concept of Onaism, which drew extensively on the Yoruba traditions surrounding him. Onaism was developed by a coterie of young artists whose work was characterised by strong patterning, lively surface texture and the use of indigenous, rather than imported pigments, often producing 'earth' colours, though Ekpuk is also adept at using black and white. Adding to his increasingly eclectic or magpie sources of creative stimulus, after graduating, he moved down to Lagos and for several years worked as an illustrator and cartoonist for the Daily Times, Nigeria's leading newspaper. This added the skill of pungent story-telling to Ekpuk's artistic arsenal, a sense of order to the intricate multiplicity of the art we see today.


I AM... #1 2012 Pastel on Paper 92 cm x 122 cm


I AM... #3 2012 Pastel on Paper 92 cm x 122 cm


I AM... #4 2012 Pastel on Paper 92 cm x 122 cm


I AM... #5 2012 Pastel on Paper 92 cm x 122 cm


Portrait Series #1 2015 Acrylic on Canvas 122 cm x 153 cm


Portrait Series #2 2015 Acrylic on Canvas 122 cm x 153 cm


Portrait Series #3 2015 Acrylic on Canvas 122 cm x 153 cm


Portrait #4 (God Save the Queen) 2015 Acrylic on Canvas 122 cm x 153 cm


Portrait Series #5 2015 Acrylic on Canvas 122 cm x 153 cm


Portrait Series #6 2015 Acrylic on Canvas 122 cm x 122 cm


Portrait Series #7 2015 Acrylic on Canvas 122 cm x 122 cm


Portrait Series #8 2015 Acrylic on Canvas 122 cm x 122 cm


English Man in New York 2015 Acrylic Ink on Paper 50 cm x 65 cm


Her Majesty 2015 Acrylic Ink on Paper 50 cm x 65 cm


Imagined Self 2015 Acrylic Ink on Paper 48 cm x 63.5 cm


Imagined Self 2 2015 Acrylic Ink on Paper 48 cm x 63.5 cm


For enquiries, please contact: LONDON Christian Sulger-Buel Unit 2, LaGare 51 Surrey Row London SE1 0BZ United Kingdom Tel: +44 203 268 2101 Cell: +44 7775 782 955 christian@sulger-buel-lovell.com CAPE TOWN Tamzin Lovell Miller View website for exhibition venues Tel: +27 21 447 5918 Cell: +27 79 176 42 92 tamzin@sulger-buel-lovell.com www.sulger-buel-lovell.com


www.sulger-buel-lovell.com


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