STEINGOLD CONTEMPORARY is pleased to present One of Us, a solo exhibition by the London-based Nigerian artist Tonye Ekine.

Ekine’s practice is deeply rooted in a deftness of draftsmanship from where all his paintings originate. Ekine highlights the imperfections of both our inner-psyche and our interwoven relationships through an intuitive grasp of form and painterly directness, often choosing to capture a tension between the finished and unfinished. Themes of identity, decolonisation, heritage, belonging and the multifaceted forms of modern expression reverberate through his work. Ekine’s orchestrated ‘scenes’ and undetermined spaces are charged with questions and the desire for introspection and conversation.

Ekine’s drawings and paintings reflect his ongoing interests in fashion, architecture and design, social hierarchies and current affairs and notably in every image, the mask is present. The head is of particular importance in Yoruba sculpture; the site of a person’s life source, personality and destiny, the centre of human existential struggles. In contemporary culture, the mask also comments on how we hide behind certain versions of ourselves to fit in, which begs the question: who are we when the mask is taken off when we return home?

The use of the Ife mask was cemented upon Ekine’s visit to the British Museum and encountering a brass head of an Ooni (king) from Wunmonije Compound, Ife, dating from 14th/15th century. It brought up questions about its display there and the benefits of the museum’s vast reach versus its rightful place. Having attended art school in the historic city of Ile-Ife and having an ancestral lineage to Ife through his maternal grandfather, it seems apt for Ekine to pay homage and play with his own version of these masks, truer to human form, as a vehicle to explore various identities in his work.

With a repetitive use of the mask, Ekine seeks to almost popularise the ancient artefact, weaving it within contemporary cultural symbols such as known clothing and jewellery brands. Ekine uses these references as clues to discover the persona behind the mask as their facial expressions are hidden, as they were so much during the pandemic. Furthermore, with the ever-growing use of tech, we continue to build layers between our true selves and the outside world. Ekine encourages us to question these layers and through conversation and self-reflection, rediscover and embrace our human connections and differences. With repetition, Ekine succeeds in making the Ife mask more familiar or ‘popular’ – bringing the original makers and Yoruba culture into contemporary consciousness. Of the Ife mask Ekine notes, “You’re told ‘go and study the Old Masters’ - this is an Old Master”.

The blurring of gender, race and age in Ekine’s subject matter creates ambiguity but also a universality to his subjects. His unique way of storytelling, together with a deep understanding of colour theory, draftsmanship and appreciation for Pop Art, combine to achieve a bold and vibrant language.

Tonye Ekine (b. 1992, Nigeria) graduated in Fine Art from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, in 2014.  Ekine initially pursued a successful career in applied arts in the fields of graphic design, advertising and creative direction. In 2021 Ekine made a significant move to London and was accepted onto the MA Fine Art: Drawing course at Camberwell College of Arts, graduating in 2022. During this time, Tonye exhibited with STEINGOLD CONTEMPORARY in a group exhibition entitled Haven in Leytonstone.