Uzo Egonu - Painting in Darkness

Uzo Egonu, Nigerian Modernism exhibition, at Tate Modern.

The work of Uzo Egonu was part of the Nigerian Modernism exhibition. I loved the whole exhibition and discovered so many artists whose work I had not seen before. Egonu's work was one of my favourites, so I have decided to do a separate post on it. You can see the other four posts on this exhibition through the search facility on the right of the screen.

A Nigerian artist living in postwar Britain, Egony dedicated his work to themes of nationhood and belonging. Born in 1931, in Nigeria, Egonu began painting and drawing at a young age. He moved to the UK as a teenager and later enrolled at Camberwell College of Arts and Crafts in London.

The devastating loss of life during the Nigerian Civil War left a deep impression on Egonu as an Igbo artist. Although he only briefly returned to Nigeria once in 1977, he remaiend deeply invested in the struggles of the emerging independent nation.

In his work, he blended the figurative and the abstract, fusing the aesthetics of European modernism with traditional Igbo sculpture and Uli wall art. Egony became interested in etching, exploring what he described as 'the poetry of lines'. However, this process exposed him to toxic fumes and by 1979 he had lost much of his vision. During this period, which he described as 'painting in darkness', he created some of his most vibrant and expressive painting - Stateless People for instance. 

Poetess, 1980, (oil on canvas)

Stateless People, 1981, (oil on canvas)

Stateless People: an artist with Beret, 1981, (oil on canvas)

The Stateless People series draws on the bold, graphic qualities of Egonu's printmaking. Each painting centres on a creative activity: music, art and poetry. The figures serve as metaphors for the alienation and exile experienced by many artists forced to leave their homelands due to political or social intolerance. Post-war reconciliation in Nigeria had brought with it a vision of growth and progress, while the oil boom elevated the country's economic standing. Yet, alongside this optimism, the era was also marked by corruption. Egony noted that a country 'without a permanent foundation, foresight, common sense and ambition for the good of the country... is non-existent'. He felt that anyone who inahabits such a place is 'symbolically stateless'.

Will Knowledge Safeguard Freedom 2, 1985, (oil on canvas)

In this painting, Egonu reflects on the interdependence of power and knowledge. He explores how creative endeavours and technological advancement shape the destiny of humankind. For Egonu, the challenges of modern nation-building across Africa were a source of deep anxiety and sorrow.

His composition presents figures engaged in a range of activities. A ladder stands within reach yet remains unused, implying that advancement is available to humanity only through the pursuit of knowledge. While the overall colour palette is subdued, Egony introduces the image of a flower as an emblem of hope and optimism.

Woman in Grief, 1968, (oil on canvas)

Piccadilly Circus, 1969, (oil on canvas)

This painting expresses Egonu's anguish and despair during the period when the region of Nigeria that he once called home seceded to form the Republic of Biafra. Even though he embraced this new Biafran identity, he was very concerned about the fact that his ties to his homeland were strained by both conflict and distance.

Hair Plaiting, 1867, (oil on canvas)

Artist Painting Mother and Child, 1978, (oil on canvas)

Woman Reading, 1978, (oil on canvas)