Ebebio (Mysterious tree) - 1991

223 x 184 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Hidden treasure - 1991

250 x 190 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Itembe (Traditional trumpeter) - 1991

93 x 180 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Nigeria Cultural Heritage - n.d.

224 x 645 cm
Oil on canvas

Untitled - 1990

181 x 166 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1990

180 x 168 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1990

177 x 140 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1991

92 x 66 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1991

96 x 180 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1991

86 x 52 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Emmanuel Ekefrey

Born in 1952 in Ndiya, Nigeria.

Lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria.

Ekong Emmanuel Ekefrey belongs to the Ibibio ethnic group, akin to the Igbo group which occupies the southeast part of Nigeria. He is very attached to the Ibibio culture which has a rich tradition of music, danse, painting and sculpture. Although some large paintings represent the Ibibio myths and legends, the artist is formal: he isn’t focused on the past. Ekefrey invented his own style. He remembers well the lessons taught by his Ibibio ancestors and believes that each person has a specific gift that he should be free to develop.

The most striking characteristic of Ekefrey’s paintings is the « all-over » technique; paint is applied on the canvas stretched on the floor and it produces an effect of cutting up and interpenetration of each figure, creating movement. There is a profusion of shapes, lines, colors that convey a great dynamic. The viewer’s eyes are driven from a point to the other and this eye movement gives the impression of penetrating the painting.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2022
Bande-Annonce, La Collection Pigozzi à Cannes, Gare maritime de Cannes, France

2019
Aspects of Nude: Selections from the Permanent Collection ,California African American Museum ,Los Angeles, California, USA

2010
African Stories, Ancienne banque du Maroc, Marrakech, Maroc

2008
Expresiones Africanas, Margarita, Caracas, Venezuela

2006
Ekong Emmanuel Ekefrey, Alliance française, Lagos, Nigeria

2001
Ekong Emmanuel Ekefrey, French Cultural Center Lagos, Nigeria

1997
Ekong Emmanuel Ekefrey , Signature Gallery Lagos, Nigeria

1996
Ekong Emmanuel Ekefrey , Venetian Gallery, Madrid, Spain

1993
African Biennale for the Visuals Arts, Abidjan, Ivory Coast

1991/1992
Africa Hoy / Africa Now, Centro Atlantico de Arte Moderno, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Espagne ; Groningen Museum, Groningen, Pays-Bas; Centro Cultural de Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico, Mexique

1991
Ekong Emmanuel Ekefrey, Espace Paul Boye, Sète, France
African Art, Copenhague, Denmark

1988
Ekong Emmanuel Ekefrey, Goethe institute Lagos, Nigeria
2nd Cosmopolitan Art Exhibition, Los Angeles, USA

1985
Ekong Emmanuel Ekefrey, French Cultural Center Lagos, Nigeria
Ekong Emmanuel Ekefrey, Goethe institute Lagos, Nigeria

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1996
Contemporary Art of Africa.
Seni Awa Camara p.54-57, text in English by Louise Bourgeois.
Edited by Andre Magnin & Jacques Soulillou.
Publisher Harry N. Abraams, New-York.

1991
Africa Hoy. Centro Atlantico de Arte Moderno.
Exhibition catalogue, bilingual text Spanish & English.
Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain