The fourth solo exhibition by Ndidi Emefiele, The Gift of Fellowship, opens at Gallery Rosenfeld. The exhibition will feature an entirely new body of works on paper and presents a further path on her journey as she struggles to cope with the tragic death of her sister.
Drawing on cultural, gendered and personal references, Ndidi Emefiele creates layered figurative compositions that, dynamic in brush stroke and in juxtaposition of colour, conjure the complexity of contemporary experience and female identity. As she emerges from the Nigerian landscape, the narrative’s strength becomes even more apparent as she incorporates traditional materials, textiles, and collage to convey a strong sense of cultural heritage and aesthetics inspired by her home country.
While Emefiele’s previous exhibition was dedicated to and inspired by the tragic loss of her beloved sister, her recent exhibit looks at the importance of fellowship, the slow process of healing and how one goes about dealing with memory and pain. The artist uses the term “fellowship” in the broadest sense; the value of friends, relationships, and spaces, but most importantly, “fellowship with self,” have assisted her in navigating the extremely difficult mourning period she has been through and is still going through. The artist views this fellowship gift as a very spiritual embrace, and it has undoubtedly benefited her. According to her description, these paintings ‘are seeking to reconcile the familiar and the unknown where I paint it just as I imagine it from the clues I get when dreaming about my sister’.
Large paper works dominate this new exhibition; a medium Emefiele has used frequently but never giving them such prominence. According to Rosenfeld, there are narrative echoes of her earlier works, including the use of swimming pools, oversized glasses, extremely rich and colorful costumes, and landscapes. A perfect example is the work entitled ‘Untitled (Pool Side)’. The dramatic sky, the hills in the background illuminated by various houses and the fact that the pool is not now a dominant presence but one of a series of elements in an extraordinarily rich and complex composition.
The large work on paper, ‘Isle of the Blessed’ could be seen as a companion piece to the work entitled, ‘They Came to see God’ from her previous exhibition. In that work, two women presumably the artist and her recently departed sister, are in front of the sea shore, surrounded by animals, with the artist looking towards us the viewer, whist the other woman has her head turned away from us as she looks directly at the horizon… in ‘Isle of the Blessed’, both women are looking straight at us. Pictured in this extraordinarily rich landscape, here, instead of her sister, Emefiele’s companion is intended to be herself.
Emefiele has painted dinner scenes before which referenced ‘The Last Supper’. This time she turns to Egon Schiele’s ‘Friends (Round Table)’ for inspiration. On this occasion, instead of using unknown figures as in the earlier works, she is now featuring herself and friends of hers to populate the scene. These new works where she confronts herself have opened up a new reality for her. The artist calls this voyage of discovery as ‘ confronting her fears’.
Her previous use of collaged elements to enhance the canvas now includes various textiles, plastics, clock hands, compact disc bezels, collage, printed papers, sequins, pens, faux pearls, and colored pencils on archival paper. The animals that appear in her paintings, as in her earlier works, also serve as spiritual symbols to further deepen the layers of meaning in each piece.
The artist continues to showcase her incredibly creative spirit by incorporating extra components to her works. The two characters’ glasses in the piece titled “Brethren” serve as sufficient evidence of this. One of Emefiele’s works’ recurrent themes is the presence of glasses. Here, she allows her creativity to run wild because it is used to shield women from the aggressiveness of the male gaze.
These new paintings give the impression of looking at a “fauvist on speed,” despite the fact that her bold use of color has always been present. The artist has been successful in taking her works into uncharted territory with each new exhibition while always remaining true to herself.
About Ndidi Emefiele
Ndidi Emefiele (b.1987) lives and works in North Hampton, UK.
Emefiele has exhibited widely both internationally and in the UK including solo/group presentations in Miami, New York, London, Chicago, Los Angeles, Lagos, Johannesburg and Abuja. Emefiele has exhibited in numerous museums and private collections such as MoCADA, New York; The Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg; The Taubman Museum of Art, Virginia; The Perimeter, London; The Mint Museum, North Carolina; HSBC Global, London; The Nigerian Stock Exchange, Lagos; The University Of South Africa, Cape Town; The Deighton Collection, Beth Rudin DeWoody collection; The Jimenez – Colon Collection and The Charles H. Wright Museum, Detroit. Her works were also showcased at the Art Encounters Contemporary Art Biennial in Timisoara, Romania and Christie’s London as part of Bold Black British in 2022. She was awarded with the prestigious ‘The Olive Prize’ (Excellence In Painting, The Slade School Of Fine Art). Emefiele was among the nominees of The Future Awards Africa for Arts & Culture.
