Having exhibited to great acclaim across his home country of Nigeria, the US and the UK, Oliver Enwonwu’s upcoming show at Lilford Framing Gallery Pop Up is causing great excitement!
Oliver Enwonwu’s art interrogates the complex layers of history between the African continent and the West. Through portraiture, Enwonwu addresses the near absence of Black figures in Western accounts of art history. Co-opting the visual language and painting techniques of the Old Masters, Enwonwu imbues his figures with an air of power, regality, and pride, attempting to make up for an absence of such portraits within the Western canon.
Enwonwu’s subjects are not always known personally to him; they are often idealistic, recalled from memory, or completely invented. Yet, a common thread runs through his work in the figures’ appearance of confidence. Their gaze is always unabashed and self-contained; they do not meet the gaze of the viewer, yet refuse to shy away from it in empowering displays of self-confidence. Often concerned more with conveying an impression of Black power and dignity than the representation of exact likenesses, Enwonwu’s portraits state the injustices of Black figuration’s exclusion from the Western canon.
Born in 1975, Oliver Enwonwu comes from a long line of artists. His grandfather was a reputable traditional sculptor, whilst his father Ben Enwonwu MBE is widely celebrated as Africa’s pioneer modernist.
In tribute to his late father, Enwonwu also delves into the metaphysical – an endeavor exemplified by series’ based on mythological characters, contemporary interpretations of traditional African dance, and the Onitsha-Igbo masquerade pantheon. Enwonwu’s chief interest lies not in the decorative qualities of their costume but in the rhythmic movement and spirituality of their dance, and in their role in bridging the spirit and physical worlds. Like his father before him, Enwonwu challenges racial injustice through celebrating African spirituality, Black identity, Pan-Africanism and the global Africa empowerment movement.
From 2009 to July 2021, Enwonwu served as the President of the Society of Nigerian Artists, established in 1963 as the umbrella professional body for all artists in Nigeria. It exists to engender the highest standards of practice and teaching of the visual arts in Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants (FIMC, CMC) and sits on the board of several organisations including the Lagos Biennial. Previously, he served on the Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria, as well as the governing board of the National Gallery of Art, Nigeria and was appointed member of the Advisory Group on Technology and Creativity in the Nigeria Industrial Policy and Competitiveness Advisory Council, chaired by His Excellency, the Vice President of Nigeria. In addition, he was appointed by the Federal Government as Chairman, Visual Arts Sub-Committee of the Post-COVID-19 Initiative for the Creative Industry.
Enwonwu also holds a Master’s degree in visual arts with distinction from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
Selected exhibitions include: Best of Africa FIN/Forbes Awards Reception/Celebration of Mandela’s Legacy, organised by Kiribaku Art, London (2023); Found, Signature African Art, London (2022); Modern and Contemporary African (MOCONA) Arts Exhibition and Auction, Lagos (2022); Politics of Representation, Alliance Française Lagos (2021); Healing our Humanity, Finding Hope, Love and Unity, Steffen Thomas Museum, Atlanta (2021); and AfroSoul’: ACADA Contemporary African Diaspora Art Exhibition (2020).