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Lot Essay
‘As a Nigerian artist from Edo state, I believe in the building of local institutions and this is the reason I contributed my work towards achieving that goal.’
– VICTOR EHIKHAMENOR
Christie’s and the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) in Nigeria are collaborating to raise funds for MOWAA and its initiatives to create a cultural ecosystem in Benin City, based on the art of the past, present and future. A number of artists have generously agreed to donate original works of art to the auction, including Yinka Shonibare, Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Lakwena Maciver and Victor Ehikhamenor. Proceeds from the sale of the works will go towards MOWAA initiatives including the presentation of the Nigeria Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia, 2024—commissioned by the Governor of Edo State and also curated by Aindrea Emelife—and the 20-acre Creative Campus, including the Rainforest Gallery. Designed by the Dakar-based architecture firm Worofila, the Rainforest Gallery will be dedicated to showcasing Modern and Contemporary art, as well as historic exhibitions.
Born in Uwessan in Edo State, Victor Ehikhamenor is a Nigerian-American multidisciplinary visual artist. His works engage with his cultural heritage, postcolonial politics and the global African diaspora. Ehikhamenor was exposed to craft and artistic practices from a young age: his grandmother was a cloth weaver, his uncle a photographer, and his mother a local artist. His own practice spans painting, photography, collage and prints as well as writing, poetry and activism. Combining script, figural shapes and abstract gestures, Ehikhamenor’s works are saturated with tessellations, symbols tucked into crevices, and unexpected textures which only reveal themselves upon second glance. Every work contains multiple layers, blending images and idioms in a manner that reflects his multifaceted identity.
Ehikhamenor’s work was included in the first Nigeria Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017. He has exhibited internationally, featuring at the Pinakothek Der Moderne, Munich in 2021 and mounting a solo exhibition at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, last year. Ehikhamenor also founded the creative residency Angels and Muse, in Lagos, and Ink Not Blood, a peace initiative designed to discourage violence during political elections in Nigeria. He has received numerous awards for both his writing and art, as well as fellowships from organisations such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Civitella Ranieri Foundation, the Nirox Foundation, and the Norman Mailer Center.
– VICTOR EHIKHAMENOR
Christie’s and the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) in Nigeria are collaborating to raise funds for MOWAA and its initiatives to create a cultural ecosystem in Benin City, based on the art of the past, present and future. A number of artists have generously agreed to donate original works of art to the auction, including Yinka Shonibare, Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Lakwena Maciver and Victor Ehikhamenor. Proceeds from the sale of the works will go towards MOWAA initiatives including the presentation of the Nigeria Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia, 2024—commissioned by the Governor of Edo State and also curated by Aindrea Emelife—and the 20-acre Creative Campus, including the Rainforest Gallery. Designed by the Dakar-based architecture firm Worofila, the Rainforest Gallery will be dedicated to showcasing Modern and Contemporary art, as well as historic exhibitions.
Born in Uwessan in Edo State, Victor Ehikhamenor is a Nigerian-American multidisciplinary visual artist. His works engage with his cultural heritage, postcolonial politics and the global African diaspora. Ehikhamenor was exposed to craft and artistic practices from a young age: his grandmother was a cloth weaver, his uncle a photographer, and his mother a local artist. His own practice spans painting, photography, collage and prints as well as writing, poetry and activism. Combining script, figural shapes and abstract gestures, Ehikhamenor’s works are saturated with tessellations, symbols tucked into crevices, and unexpected textures which only reveal themselves upon second glance. Every work contains multiple layers, blending images and idioms in a manner that reflects his multifaceted identity.
Ehikhamenor’s work was included in the first Nigeria Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017. He has exhibited internationally, featuring at the Pinakothek Der Moderne, Munich in 2021 and mounting a solo exhibition at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, last year. Ehikhamenor also founded the creative residency Angels and Muse, in Lagos, and Ink Not Blood, a peace initiative designed to discourage violence during political elections in Nigeria. He has received numerous awards for both his writing and art, as well as fellowships from organisations such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Civitella Ranieri Foundation, the Nirox Foundation, and the Norman Mailer Center.