Bruce Onobrakpeya’s artwork, Erukperu, explores themes of protest, bravery, and societal self-regulation. The artwork captures the extreme form of communal protest Urhobo tradition in which elders, both men and women, march naked through the streets toward the market square. This public display serves as a profound expression of collective distress and indignation in response to
Artists, like everyone else, often venerate their mothers more than their fathers. However, there are still notable instances of father appreciation. Two artworks by Bruce Onobrakpeya come to mind. In the artwork “Obi Omonedo,” Onobrakpeya pays tribute to his father, Omonedo Onobrakpeya. During his lifetime, Omonedo Onobrakpeya was a palm farmer in Ekerevbu Town, just
Bruce Onobrakpeya’s perpetual restlessness is evident in these rare totems. These sculptures embody his unyielding curiosity, profound insights, and talent for integrating ideas from different eras. The idea was originally conceived as representations within the etching, ‘Good governance,’ which employed an array of pre-colonial era sculptural totems to pay homage to the ideals of strength
Onobrakpeya is arguably, Africa’s most significant living artist and it is our pleasure to present these rare deep etching artworks. The artworks present his journey over two decades from 1960 to 1977. They also present our cultural evolution in that time and his role in shaping this evolution. We hope you can join us for
Ben Osawe created this charcoal drawing in 1965 while still in England. This is one of a fairly large body of model drawings he did at the time. It’s created in a formal style of figurative portraiture. It’s easy to see his facility with the charcoal medium, his self-assurance and the elegance that would become
A bittersweet artwork, The colours are warm and joyful, the figures seem connected and vibrant, the adire patterns on their clothing are bold and appealing. It’s a warm artwork with a darkish theme. Created at the end of the civil war, the artwork explores the mixed emotions of these women about the end of the
Bruce Onobrakpeya has recently started to explore some of his earlier Christian-themed artworks. The first of this series is ‘Ore ri Canaan’. He had earlier explored this artwork as a deep etching on paper in 1982. Its present incarnation is as an utterly magnificent metal foil artwork. ‘Ore Ri Canaan’, explores the turning of water
Ben Enwonwu was a sculptor. Period. Well, also a painter. But his genius was as a sculptor. In his painting he certainly applied his skill, intelligence, and philosophy to create era defining artworks. But in his sculptures, he brought a bit more. He brought all these things and the spirit, wisdom and vitality of his
We hope you’re keeping safe. Unfortunately, we can’t have exhibitions at the gallery at the moment. But that doesn’t mean we can’t present interesting artworks to you. So, we’ll be sending you a series of themed show reels. The first, ‘No Distance’ is a look back at the time before social distancing using the artworks of
Uzo Egonu (1931 – 1996) An introspective, deeply private artist in his lifetime, Uzo Egonu’s reputation has grown steadily in Nigeria in the past decade or so. Part of the reason for this is the increased interest in the art of modernist pioneers like Ben Enwonwu, Abayomi Barber, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Yussuf Grillo, Jimo Akolo and
Since respect for elders is all the rage at the moment, we thought we’d praise the ultimate elder, Bruce Onobrakpeya – the storyteller of Agbarha-Otor, master printmaker, probably Nigeria’s most famous living artist, and certainly the most influential over the past 5 decades. The artwork ‘Musicians’, is a rare sketch on aluminium printer’s plate done
Text for The Master’s Exhibition Catalogue 2018 by Mydrim Gallery Masters as Servants Service There are no masters here. Not in a conventional sense, anyway. These are not wondrous, other-worldly beings floating in a bubble of their success. No, these are no masters. These are servant, when you think about it. They have toiled
Onobrakpeya says his father lived in Okeruvbu, a small town on the outskirts of Benin city, populated by Urhobo people. He would visit the town regularly and eventually did the etching ‘Okeruvbu’. The artwork was, in some way, a tribute to the town, his fond memories of his visits there and the inhabitants of the town.
We didn’t really talk about the artworks I’d come for. We just talked about art. Nothing serious. Just chitchat.
‘It’ll still take a while,’ he said.‘We still need to get to that point where people know they can resell their artworks.