Points Of View : Chidi Kwubiri

Arthouse-The Space presents Points of View, a solo exhibition of Nigerian artist Chidi Kwubiri. After numerous collaborations with the artist in Arthouse Contemporary’s annual auctions over the past seven years, this exhibition offers the public an opportunity to delve more deeply into Chidi Kwubiri’s rich artistic practice.

This exhibition is also a homecoming of sorts, as the artist has lived in Germany over the last two decades. Deeply influenced by his studies at the Dusseldorf Art Academy and the interactions between fellow artists and peers, his work negotiates the complexity
of two different cultures while remaining strong to his local roots. In fact, Chidi Kwubiri remains focused on the symbols and themes of Nigerian culture, from masquerades and traditional customs to the routine aspects of social life.

Over his prolific career, Chidi Kwubiri has developed a process of dripping paints on canvas to create a series of dots that form his images. Oscillating between the figurative and the abstract, Chidi Kwubiri forms faces, bodies, and masks using bright and expressive colours. At close inspection, his paintings rely on the elemental physical foundation of paint in a pointillist approach. We see colour splotches in their primal state before we make symbolic associations. Viewed from a distance, we are able to discern the iconographies and larger metaphors of the scenes depicted.

Many of Chidi Kwubiri’s paintings address the archetypical human figure, focusing on the body and its fragments. These figures are in states of limbo in a moment of reflection and potential transcendence. In other works, he speaks to topical social and political issues of a globalized world today. Fueled by his personal experiences and a reflection of the local and international environment, Points of View highlights Chidi Kwubiri’s singular visual style. As the exhibition title suggests, it is through both his technique and critical reflection that we are able to delve into such a unique way of exploring Nigerian culture and the world at large.