Onyeka Ibe - Gallery Elena Shchukina

left, Illusion, oil on canvas, 36" x 24"
Escapism:
Within the Depths of a Sketch
Onyeka Ibe
Artist to Collect
written by Brett Anningson
Needing to escape
With powerful experiences serving to shape life’s
realities, Onyeka Ibe’s childhood included his
reality of having been born and raised in a wartorn nation. A civil war between Nigeria and the
Republic of Biafra led to a mass starvation and
famine as well as the deaths of as many as three
million people in the region during the late 1960s
and early 1970s.
“With violence a prominent part of my
childhood,” explains Onyeka, “I realized my ability
to sketch my own world on paper allowed me to
escape. I spent most of my youth creating art and
searching for elements that point to humanity.”
www.arabelladesign.com
above, Emerging, oil on canvas, 30" x 40"
The son of an artist, Onyeka cannot remember
a time when he was not surrounded by art and
creatively drawn to it. The story is told of how
even at age four, he spent the whole day watching
his father in the studio.
The quest for creative knowledge led Onyeka
to enroll in college to study fine art where he
was exposed to an array of visual art media,
all of which tended to reinforce and solidify his
expanding interest in art. “Upon graduation, I
spent some time traveling the world, mainly in
search of ideas, new directions and materials. I
ultimately ended up settling in the United States
after realizing all the opportunities the country
opened up to me,” he says.
Onyeka graduated with first class honors in
1996 from the University of Benin earning his
Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art. He subsequently
continued his studies at Georgia State University
and Pratt Institute in New York for his Masters
in Fine Art.
Artist to Collect: Onyeka Ibe
page 405
above, Elation, oil on canvas, 30" x 40"
Onyeka has had an ongoing reputation and
impressive recognition as an artist almost from
the commencement of his artistic journey. At 16,
his work was exhibited at The National Gallery of
Modern Art in Lagos. He was awarded “The Best
SOLO Artist of the Year 2006” at the International
Artexpo in New York. In July 2007, he received
the proclaimed accolade of being profiled
and named one of “Today’s Top Artists” in Art
Business News.
“Winning an award is always a big boost of
motivation,” he muses, “as it makes one feel
recognized. Winning the award was exciting but
at the same time challenged me to continue to
push myself.”
Abstract expressionism as passion
A process that is ironically not a process; this is
how Onyeka describes his approach to art. For
him, creation is a very spontaneous project –
or perhaps something that is carefully thought
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Artist to Collect: Onyeka Ibe
right, Glimpse, oil on canvas, 40" x 30"
through so that every detail is exact. Like many
creative people, the process depends on the
source of inspiration and what he is attempting
to accomplish. Thus, a painting may take a month
to complete, or may just come to fruition from
the creative tips of his fingers - all in a day’s work.
It is precisely this quest which has led to the
development of a particular and unique style. “My
painting has changed over the years,” Onyeka
admits. “My early works were influenced by 17th
century Dutch paintings. I was fascinated with
work by Dutch baroque painters. I studied their
style and was inspired to paint mostly portrait in
my early years. Today, in my new series of work,
I reflect upon my childhood experience growing
up in Africa and draw upon the indigenous
forms and contents deeply rooted in African art
and architecture. I use a combination of dark
earthy colors and fragments of found objects
and recycled paints to create this new body of
work. I draw ideas from the structural element of
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left, Seated Nude, oil on canvas, 40" x 30"
above, Contemplation, oil on canvas, 40" x 30"
left, Longing, oil on canvas, 40" x 30"
houses in West African villages which are usually
built using low grade materials such as mud,
wooden poles and found materials. The resilience
and craft of these structures are remarkable and
inspiring as they usually last for over a decade.”
Music, coffee, iPad, couch, and light; these are
all Onyeka needs to be comfortable. Onyeka’s
studio is his sanctuary adorned with much light
and his trusted iPad, music and coffee. It indeed
serves as a place supportive of his creative
ingenuity, offering a comfort much enjoyed.
“It starts with you!” Onyeka would tell anyone
who wanted to become an artist. “Be passionate,
don’t give up, and believe in yourself. Keep
working hard and if you feel like you are not
progressing, sit down and rethink your strategy
as you may be able to figure out a different
approach. Like any other profession, it is very
challenging but at the same time rewarding when
things start going well. It’s a career that can take
you places and allow you to do things with the
freedom most people don’t have. But to achieve
this, it requires a lot of hard work and dedication.”
All of this passion is expertly conveyed upon
each canvas as Onyeka looks upon the New York
City skyline which has become his home. Onyeka
www.arabelladesign.com
above, Anticipation, oil on canvas, 30" x 48"
feels blessed to live in one of the most exciting and
diverse cultural landscapes in the world. “Having
the opportunity to develop my methodology and
technique against this backdrop gives me a very
interesting and unique perspective,” he muses.
Found objects
Through the years, Onyeka has experimented
with a number of mediums and techniques. As
he sought to create what spoke to him, he began
to use a palette knife more and more. This was
an approach he became very fond of because of
the uniqueness it adds to his technique of color
application. Using the palette knife allows every
colour to make a bold statement on its own, but
at the same time, work in harmony with others to
create a cohesive work of art.
“There seem to be a wide range of ideas
and media that are being explored by many
artists today,” Onyeka says. “I have been mostly
impressed by artists making use of trash or
abandoned objects to create art. “Accumulated
rubbish” from dust bins and trash cans discarded
from our daily lives has been an inspiration for
many conceptual contemporary artists. Over the
years, artists have found solace in transforming
Artist to Collect: Onyeka Ibe
page 411
previous spread, Local Barn, oil on canvas, 30" x 40"
above, Blue Ridge I, oil on canvas, 30" x 30"
these materials to great works of art. One of
the artists that has impressed me is El Anatsui.
Anatsui is one of the most notable African
artists working today. His work refocuses our
attention to the casual sights of trash within our
environment. Anatsui converts found materials
into a new type of media that lies between
sculpture and painting, combining aesthetic
traditions from his birth country, Ghana and the
global history of abstraction. He creates his work
using flattened bottle caps woven together into
shimmering tapestry. His work, though created
from “accumulated trash” comes in a variety
of form and color. In using these materials, he
creates an interwoven communication of colors by
deconstructing shapes and forms with contrasts
of intense color in richly modulated surfaces.”
Using recycled paint and some of these
discarded treasures on board and canvas, Onyeka
has developed a new direction in his artwork of
which he finds very exciting. He considers himself
a multimedia artist and this direction has inflamed
his passion for what he does.
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Artist to Collect: Onyeka Ibe
right, Old Farm House, oil on canvas, 48" x 60"
It is all in the attitude
“I am humored by the reaction on people’s
faces when I tell them I am an artist,” Onyeka
laughs. “Many people often proceed to ask me
what my “other real job” is and are even more
puzzled when I tell that that I don’t have one.
The issue of stereotyping is one that many artists
face and as a young African artist that made my
way to the United States in the late 1990s, I was
no exception. Instead of letting the challenges
restrict me, I made a commitment to being true
to my passion for art and seeking knowledge
that continuously fuels that passion. Through
the course of the years, I have built a network of
passionate collectors and fans of my work which
inspires me to continue.”
He goes on to explain that he tries to live life in
the present, to give every moment his all because
it is in those moments of focus when he is most
inspired by the people and things around him.
“Over the course of the years,” Onyeka explains,
“there are many people and things that have
shaped my journey. The people that are most
Arabella Autumn Harvest 2014
memorable for me are the people that
believed and encouraged my craft
from the very beginning, as that fueled
my passion and made me fight for it.”
This attitude of enjoyment, of
passion, of interest, overflows into
every aspect of his life. Onyeka
enjoys spending time with his family
and attending events in and around
New York City. He continues with his
deep-rooted love of travel and the
ensuing joy of visiting new places to
experience different cultural values
while embracing life to its fullest. This
attitude is at the core of his innovation
and creativity – it is what gets
channeled with each new creation.
“We are responsible for allowing
our dreams to become reality,” he
says, “and we must ultimately find our
purpose in life. I found that at an early
age and held onto it dearly. There
were key people that encouraged me
throughout the way and I stayed close
to them. Similarly, I stayed away from
the people that discouraged me.”
“From early in life, I was passionate
about art and stayed focused,” Onyeka
concludes, “And so I have been very
positive and motivated through my
career path. I believe that good energy
and positive thinking attracts success.”
There will also be a show of Onyeka
Ibe’s work on October 30, 2014 at
Chasen Galleries. To see more of his
work please visit:
Chasen Galleries
Richmond, VA, USA
804.204.1048
[email protected]
previous spread, Autumn View, oil on canvas, 30" x 40"
right, Farm House, oil on canvas, 24" x 30"