Ekene Stanley Emecheta
My paintings portray human auras, revealing the subject’s soul...The transparency of the pigment establishes a passage and allows the viewer to pick through into the psyche of my protagonists and their essence – to see past how they look and to focus on what they are doing.
Ekene Stanley Emecheta via ArtBasel.com, 2023
Ekene Stanley Emecheta's (1994, Nigeria) work is characterised by a distinctive use of color and compositional technique. His artwork often features iconography of figures drawn from both fantasy, history, and his private world. In each painting, Emecheta deliberately removes the protagonist's skin color, allowing him to emphasize the subject's posture and traits. By diverting attention from skin color, he directs our gaze towards the figure and its environment, expanding the scope of interpretation and inviting viewers to immerse themselves emotionally and physically in the subject's narrative. This approach almost unveils the portrayed individual's aura.
