Paintings

It is very refreshing to encounter the drawings of Ekpuk at a time when many artists shy away from drawing or are simply incompetent in the crucial area of art. The high quality of his paintings may not be unconnected with his strong drawing ability. Ekpuk’s drawings are outstanding technically and thematically and place him immediately in the company of such distinguished masters as Uche Okeke, Dele Jegede, Chike Aniakor and the much lamented Gani Odutokun (1946-1995), Kevin Echeruo (1946-1969) and Gift Orakpo (1953-1979). These are artists who have taken drawing in the modern Nigerian context, beyond the usual confines of the preliminary, subordinate or supportive to that of a viable, recognizably independent genre.

In terms of draughtsmanship, consistency in the quality of work, discipline in the handling of medium, depth of subject matter, Victor Ekpuk is clearly one of the more exciting and professional of the younger artists working in Nigeria today. His journey from Enchanted Forest (1988) and the drawing published in Kurio Africana (1989), the short-lived Iife-based art journal, through the 1993 works like Fish Pond, Dark Night of Soul, Mami Wata’s Mirror, to the most recent works like the drawing, Prisioner of Conscience, reflects a marked sense of direction, seriousness of purpose, self-criticism, confidence and visible development.

In much the same way that order can be discerned in the incredible maze of lines, forms, patterns and structures in nature, there is order behind the intricate configurations presented by Ekpuk. They may also signify the patterns of order in life and experience.

Obiora Udechukwu. (Obiora Udechukwu is one of Nigeria’s most influential artists and a poet.)

May 1995

From Victor Ekpuk’s exhibition catalogue: WindSongs; at French Cultural Centre, Lagos, Nigeria, 1995.