Fat Boy
Kelechi Charles Nwaneri
Medium:
Charcoal, Pastel and Acrylic on Fabriano Paper, 2020
Dimensions:
100cm x 70cm
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ABOUT KELECHI CHARLES NWANERI
Kelechi Charles Nwaneri is a self-taught Artist, born in Lagos State, Nigeria. He focused on the sciences during his early schooling years and went on to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural extension from the University of Nigeria in 2015. Inspired by Pencil Artists such as Kelvin Okafor, Arinze Stanley and Ken Nwadiogbu, he initially focused on Pencil Realism and has evolved to introducing other mediums such as Acrylic paints, collages, Watercolours and oil paints.
Nwaneri’s works stand somewhere between genres of Photorealism, Surrealism, Post-modernism and Contemporary art but perfectly fits into what he calls Contemporary Surrealism. His work deals with issues of our present time, his use of multimedia and the conceptual feel in his works.
A major characteristic of his work is the use of West-African Iconography, mystical, metaphysical, allegorical concepts and the Black Hybrid Figure (inspired by the idea of Scars and African Tribal Marks). Nwaneri’s work has been shown in exhibitions within and outside his country of residence and he won the annual Visual Art competition (2018) organised by the Spanish embassy in Abuja, Nigeria. He currently lives and works in Lagos state, Nigeria.
Solo Exhibitions
2020: ‘Modern Marks’, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa
Group Exhibitions
2021: ‘In [the] Loop’, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa
2021: ‘Stop, Listen!’, CFHILL, Stockholm, Sweden
2020: Intersect Chicago online edition of SOFA Expo, Chicago, United States of America
2020: 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London, UK with Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana
2020: 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, New York, United States of America with EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa
2020: ‘ALL THE DAYS AND NIGHT’, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2020: ‘Doors, eyes and tribal marks’, AKKA Project, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2019: ‘STASIS’, SMO Contemporary Art Gallery, Temple Musée, Victoria Island Lagos, Nigeria.
2019: ‘SECRET GARDEN’, ODA gallery, Franschhoek, Western Cape, South Africa
2018: ‘Ode to mankind’, Artyrama Gallery, CFAO building, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
2018: ‘Spanish Festivals and traditional celebrations’, Thoughts Pyramids Gallery, Maitama, Abuja, Nigeria
2016: ‘Exploring the Goldmine Inherent in Nigerian Creative Industries’, National Festival for Art and Culture (NAFEST), Ibom Hall, Uyo, Nigeria
Public Collections
Africa First Collection, Tel Aviv, Israel
Embassy of Spain, Abuja, Nigeria
Press:
Dreams That Money Can Buy: An Interview with Kelechi Nwaneri by Paul Laster
Whitehot Magazinge – Now’s The Tiime: Eight African Painters