“I don’t make my work fearing what people might think.”
Reconstructing identity, heritage and femininity in surreal self portraits.
Oil portraits by Ekene Maduka narrate stories of heritage, femininity and Blackness. Dedicated to what she calls “the study of the self,” Maduka’s compositions present repeated versions of her own image, as well as friends and family in domestic settings. Thus the works emphasise the performativity of identity and also how selfhood is intrinsically tied to those around us. Home, memory and displacement are all key themes throughout. Predominantly painting onto stretched canvas and wooden panels, the artist incorporates bright fabrics into the compositions and lifts styles like the ‘gele’ from...
Bio
Ekene Emeka-Maduka, born 1996, was raised in Kano, Nigeria, before moving to Canada as a student. She now lives and works in Winnipeg.
Accolades
In 2018, the artist received highly sought-after sponsorship from The Dean Collection, an organisation founded by Swizz Beats and Alicia Keys.
Did you know?
While primarily a painter, upon close inspection many of Maduka's works include mixed-media elements, such as vibrant wax-printed fabrics which call to her Nigerian heritage.
