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Victor Ehikhamenor Nigeria, b. 1970
Òkàlénté Noble Keeper of Secrets, 2022
rosaries, fabric and thread with bronze statuette and rhinestones on lace textile
271.8 x 199.4 cm
107 x 78 1/2 in
107 x 78 1/2 in
Victor Ehikhamenor (b. 1970 in Udomi, Nigeria) is a visual artist and writer known for his vibrant and incisive works that engage with African cultural heritage, its resonance within the...
Victor Ehikhamenor (b. 1970 in Udomi, Nigeria) is a visual artist and writer known for his vibrant and incisive works that engage with African cultural heritage, its resonance within the global African diaspora, and the postcolonial politics of his native Nigeria. Ehikhamenor’s work employs unexpected techniques of making and unmaking, of building images and shapes, and or constructing figurative works from complex, illegible ancient scripts, tears and holes, Catholic symbols -- to create portraits of African people and depict African spaces. Using materials and iconography that embrace the traditions and histories of Africa while integrating elements that allude to the continent’s colonial past and Nigeria’s complex geopolitical position as an oil-producing nation, the scenes and figures depicted are often figurative and a mix of symbols that straddle his Benin Kingdom traditions and Catholic upbringing. This duality builds narratives that comment on the complex cultural and political reality of Nigerians in their private and public lives, both historically and today. For more than 20 years, his work has been extensively exhibited around Europe, United States, and Africa.