Ezeigwe Ikechukwu, master of zoomorphic painting, enthusiastic with ‘Monkey Business’

Since graduating from Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, where he obtained a Bachelor of Art in Painting, Ezeigwe Ikechukwu has not relented in exhibiting his creative ingenuity.

He is largely experimental and his painting style evolves over the years as he explores new ideas and themes.

The young and daring visual artist, who previously graduated as Best Painting Student from the Department of Visual Arts, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education Ijanikin, Lagos, has carved a niche for himself in various art mediums, especially zoomorphic painting.

Also read: Retro Africa presents Ken Nwadiogbu’s paintings at ART SG Singapore

Through this unique painting form and means of expression, Ikechukwu attributes an animal character to humans, which can represent a positive or negative visualization.

Now that he has perfected his zoomorphic technique, Ikechukwu is going all out to exhibit some of his zoomorphic paintings in a solo exhibition titled ‘Monkey Business’.

The exhibition opened on April 20, 2024 at Alexis Galleries, #282 Akin Olugbade Street, Off Idowu Martins Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, and will run until May 4, 2024.

The exhibition is a collection of zoomorphic paintings that convey deeper meaning and messages that address contemporary politics, social ills and economic issues.

Zoomorphic paintings in particular have long been used to further describe deities and deities, with certain animal characters attributed to the divine role of gods. Ikechukwu’s sole purpose with this concept is to further describe the hidden personality of people of a certain political or social status by using salient and unique features of specific animals.

Also read: ‘My paintings are about questions that provoke dialogue’

Therefore, in ‘Monkey Business’, Ikechukwu portrays the visual representation and tackling of controversial issues and intriguing compositions and zoomorphic concepts.

The above allows him to further use his works for art advocacy and challenging societal norms and expectations.

Although the painting collection serves as a medium to express visions of the world around us, the hidden views, there are many fascinating works on display. Some of them are:

‘Loot’, one of the works on display, represents the plunder of African heritage and mineral resources by foreign nations. According to Ikechukwu, the painting depicts a greedy-looking colonial official fiddling with the looted African artefacts in an undignified manner.

The intrigue is that every detail of the work is deliberately captured, as the painting records not only the loot, but also the repatriation of the artifacts.

‘Sinister Agendas’ is another intriguing work in the collection. The painting describes the two global pandemics the world has experienced; the Spanish flu in 1918 and the coronavirus of 2020. The painting depicts the two eras with background images that emphasize the controversial stories behind the facts surrounding them.

The painting represents the two eras figuratively, with the background text simplifying its meaning.

Other works, such as “The Business of War” and “The Test of a Man,” among others, are also exciting to see amid their images.

Speaking at the media conference announcing the exhibition, Ikechukwu acknowledged that his art has progressed through deliberate efforts and hard work fueled by his passion for art.

He invites the audience to visit and reflect themselves, society and life in the works on display, as they reflect the reality of society as a whole, everyday life and personal life.

In addition, Adebimpe Owoyemi, curator of the exhibition, described ‘Monkey Business’ in her curatorial statement as an intriguing collection of paintings that addresses views on the world around us.

“Ikechukwu likes to attribute an animal character (which can represent a positive or negative visualization) to people. He believes that there are many similarities that connect people and animals and that it will be unconventional to portray the true character of his figures in a case that will catch the eye of everyone,” she said.

She also noted that the works featured in the exhibition would stimulate imagination, change narratives and, most importantly, raise awareness about issues we ignore.

On her part, Patty Chidiac Mastrogiannis, founder of Alexis Galleries, expressed her excitement about the exhibition, noting that Ikechukwu is not new to the gallery, having been part of the Fate residency project in the past.

She also praised the artist for having greatly honed his skills, as evidenced by the quality of the works featured in the exhibition.

In the meantime, in the tradition of the gallery, she will donate part of the proceeds from the exhibition to Mother Teresa Orphanage Homes, a shelter for orphans.

However, Alexis is grateful to the exhibition’s sponsors, including; Coca Cola, Macallan, Bombay Sapphire, Mikano, Art-Cafe, Tiger, UPS, Anna Blankson Global, The Guardian, Berol, Schweppes, Haier Thermocool, Nigeria Info 99.3FM and Cobranet.