Victor Ekpuk returns to Lagos for a solo exhibition in April to show works created during his residency program at ArtHouse Foundation in 2015. The exhibition is titled “Coming Home”. Indeed it is a coming home presentation after a decade hiatus since his last exhibition in Lagos.
Speaking on the body of work showing at the exhibition, Victor Ekpuk says that “on arrival in Nigeria, I opened myself to the influences of my daily experiences and interactions with people in the society. I chose the perspective of a “Returnee”, an outsider looking in, while walking familiar streets and participating in familiar rituals of life in Nigeria. The goal was to let these experiences impact the outcome of the works I would make here”.
The general theme of the presentation rests on his investigation on an African belief of the human condition as predisposed by the condition of the metaphysical “Head”.
He explained further, “I traversed different socio-economic spaces, I found a common theme in the human condition; people are literally and metaphorically carrying things in and on their heads. The man at the bus stop screaming curses at the devil, the street hawkers carrying their wares on their heads, the fashionable women in Nigerian high society with their wigs, weaves, and elaborates head-ties. Perhaps in Nigeria, there is a connection between the loads on the head and the resolve to absolutely live daily “By the Grace of God” as a response to their existence. These observations provided materials and forms for works in “Home Coming”.
Featured in the exhibition are sculptures, paintings, and drawings.
Venue: Renault Motor Showroom, Akin Adesola Street VI, Lagos.
Date: 9th April 2016.
As part of the exhibition program, a round table discussion between Victor Ekpuk and notable Nigerian art historians, critics and fellow artists is scheduled to hold on 19th March 2016. The discussion will explore the various themes in his work, his inspirations, as well as Ekpuk’s career from his beginnings in Lagos in the 1990s to the present.
The discussants are:
- Chinwe Uwatse
- Toyin Akinosho
- Jerry Buhari
- Kunle Filani
Venue: Goethe Institut, City Hall, Lagos Island.