Picnic Painting

Ekene Okonkwo is a Nigerian artist based in Ottawa, ON. His vibrant pop style is focused on characters and ideas inspired by Asiatic cultures. Through experiences gotten from the limited literature, pop cultural representation and education of these cultures in the west; Ekene aims to use his work to spark interest and conversations in the west on certain eastern ideas, philosophies and tradition. With his use of geometric shapes and bold colours, Ekene’s work addresses topics like Geisha, zen, haiku poetry, the floating world, Taoism and Vedanta to mention a few. His process involves a range of painting techniques from directly painting with acrylic on canvas to composing pieces with archival pigment ink and acrylic on canvas. Overall, Ekene’s work is an expression of a westernized mind. Showing how imagination as well as pop cultural depiction of the east have come together to explore these Asiatic ideas through contemporary art.