CHILDREN MUST PLAY Painting

CHUKWUMA EKWERIKE is a self-taught Nigerian artist based between Lagos, Nigeria and the United Kingdom. He remembers his love for art stems from his childhood and teenage years when he practically started drawing on his school books, making sketches, then advancing to calligraphy from his hand writing style to abstract expressions. Art did not mean much to him until it showed up again during his early University days with more intensity, now drifting towards an in-depth development of abstraction, symbolism and an interest in fashion drawings born out of his inspiration and explorations around the fluidity of the female form. He cites an unforgettable experience where he had an apparition of a female silhouette set on the door of his room while on his bed during a certain evening. His interest in the female form metamorphosed from his love-hate relationship with his study of the human anatomy during his medical school days. He claimed that he loved anatomical drawings but he did not enjoy its literature. He describes his abstract drawings as visual representations of the spirituality that stems from his African origin, heritage and life’s experiences. Art according to him revealed the inner strength he possessed, as he never felt that way with his academic science inclinations. He was encouraged to pursue and develop his passion for the art by a Ghanaian Art Professor he met during his studies at the University of Port Harcourt. He also remembers an encouragement from the artist Njideka Crosby Akunyili who via an e-mail encouraged him to develop his art. His works are a reflection of the union of his inner abstract mind, and outer reality as a human being. He loves to work expressing himself through various media on paper, textiles, garments, and performance with inspiration from the female form/ body, African art, culture, and anything that sparks his curiosity. He believes that the lines, curves, and colors place before him, a constant reference for the true and deep meaning of life. His vision is to make art that evokes a strong feeling in the soul(s) of his audience and one that positively impacts on people across the world. His works have been shown at exhibitions such as the Placenta Pop-up show at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Abeokuta, Narwhal Contemporary Gallery Ontario, TED X University of Port Harcourt, the International Trade Centre Geneva, as well as commissions from the United Nations/ Ethical Fashion Initiative.