*Photo courtesy of artist and artist studio.
WE are delighted to announce Victor Ekpuk (@victorekpuk) as our upcoming artist-in-residence in collaboration with New York University Abu Dhabi (@nyuabudhabi). Following the residency, as part of the first edition of Dubai’s Calligraphy Biennale (@dubaiculture) Ekpuk will stage his first solo exhibition in the Middle East with Efie Gallery, opening on the 28th September 2023. Dubai Calligraphy Biennale opens on 1st October 2023.
“A multitude of symbols dance before the viewer’s eyes entirely encompassing several walls. These dozens of forms appear to be a cross-between calligraphy and an undeciphered script. Their proximity to each other makes it seem as if they were part of a long-lost text that is only now being revealed. The symbols seem to undulate like a wave in different colours. They are none other than the reimagined ancient Nigerian communication system, Nsibidi transformed into Nigerian-born Washington DC-based artist Victor Ekpuk’s unique language of abstraction exploring nsibidi “traditional” graphics and writing systems in Nigeria.
Ekpuk’s work spans three decades and can be found in the collections of leading international institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution National Museum
of African Art (NMAFA); Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American Culture & History (NMAACH); The Phillips Collection, Washington
DC; the Bank ABC International Headquarter, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain and The World Bank, among others. His work has been shown at major exhibitions and biennials, including the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris; Museum of Arts and Design, NYC; Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C.;
Somerset House, London; New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and the 12th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba.”
- extract from preview statement written by Rebecca Anne Proctor (@rebeccaanneproctor)
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