Johnson Eziefula, Birth of the Self, 2023

Eziefula creates a poignant dialogue between his present troubled human condition and a lingering past he struggles to let go of. He is vicariously represented in the largest canvas, mirroring the present inner state of the pointer, laying languidly on a couch; lost in contemplation. Portrayed in a somber demeanour, the subject seems to reflect, on happy and nostalgic memories being portrayed in the adjacent paintings characterised by ebullience, brotherhood, platonic intimacy, and a tightly knit interrelationship shared between once four brothers. The presentation creates a dichotomy between the central piece and the encircling quartet of paintings; a melancholic isolation set against zestful painterly depictions as revealed in the paintings 'Ambiguity of Tomorrow' & 'One Wish'.

Johnson Eziefula found the earliest influences for his art through illustrations in works of canonical African literature, such as Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Chike & the River, and various anthologies of African poetry. He is a self-described naturalist painter who aims to capture the essence of the human condition. Blurring the lines between figuration and expressionism, the artist's works explore themes of identity, cultural hybridity, and the human psyche. Eziefula has created a dark, monochromatic painterly style of his subjects that has come to be a signature of his work.

In 2021, he obtained a Bachelors degree in Pharmacy at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Eziefula has exhibited his works widely across major cities including London, New York, Miami, Brussels, Paris, Lisbon and Stockholm, among others. In 2022, he had his debut solo exhibition at MARUANI MERCIER. His works appear in several important collections including Pérez Art Museum, Miami, FL, the Xiao Museum of Rizhao, China, Onassis Collection, Athens, Greece, Buxton Contemporary, Southbank, Australia, and Salon 94 Private Collection, USA, among others.

Johnson Eziefula Nigeria, b. 1998

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Johnson Eziefula Nigeria, b. 1998

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