Kanbi Projects in collaboration with AMG Projects is pleased to present Elegy of the wind, a solo exhibition of works by Canada-based Nigerian artist Chukwudubem Ukaigwe.
Elegy of the wind is a poetic self-reflection, an introspective observation of the human condition and the economy of language with reference to its universal implication and inferences. The works in the exhibition come together as an assemblage of disparate and interconnected writings, thoughts and ideas, some that are at odds with each other, creating a tension of perspectives that sets a stage for the viewer to come into the works on their own terms, piecing their own stories and the generative possibilities that offers.
The works in the exhibition function as stand-alone essays or compositions covering a wide range of subject matter: modernity, global imperialism, migration, consumerism, global warming to mention a few. However, consistent across the works is Ukaigwe's questioning of mark- making through an active now developed visual style: the questioning of mark making through an active covering up and revelation of multiple layers of paintings, drawings and truths.
Ukaigwe's approach to painting is influenced by improvisation in jazz, evident in the dance-freely and lyrical complexity of his compositions. Across the works in the exhibition, Ukaigwe sketches the shifting borders of home and nation to create an invisible connection between capitalism in the West and the legacy of imperialism in Africa utilising satire, allegory and semiotics to dramatize the theatrics of power.
Born in 1995, Ukaigwe is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, writer, and cultural worker who approaches his art practice as a conversation, or a portal into one, and in some instances, as an interpretation of this ongoing exchange. He earned his BFA (Honours) degree at the University of Manitoba and was the 2020 recipient of the Scott Leroux Fund for Media Arts Exploration. His work has been exhibited internationally, recently in the group show Self-Addressed curated by Kehinde Wiley at Jeffery Deitch, Los Angeles. He has exhibited across Canada, New York, London, and Accra.
