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Painting (MA)

Ken Nwadiogbu

Picture of 'Wish you were here' done by Ken Nwadiogbu

Ken Nwadiogbu (b. 1994, Lagos, Nigeria) is a multidisciplinary artist. A trained civil engineer, he soon pivoted to fine art, first embracing hyperrealism and charcoal drawing before expanding his creative horizon to more conceptual works and a wider array of techniques.

On Nwadiogbu’s large canvases, stories superimpose themselves in multiple layers. Mixing together hyperrealism with contemporary elements, he explores grave matters in his colorful conceptual work, inviting us to address altogether black representation and identity, displacement, and socio-political control. Defending an art that can be at once smart and fun, he creates ingenious, politically charged visual illusions that deploy a singular outlook, daring the audience to question their own, for “value lies in the perspective”.

Nwadiogbu is credited for introducing the “Contemporealism” movement. He was awarded the prestigious The Future Awards Africa in recognition of his contributions to the Nigerian arts community. His works have been exhibited in a number of galleries including Thinkspace (‘Ubuntu’, LA, 2021), Bomb Factory Art Foundation (‘Journey Mercies’, London, 2021), Retro Africa (‘A Different Perspective’, Abuja, 2022), and Bricklane Gallery (‘Contemporealism’, London, 2019). They have also been showcased at Scope Miami, 1-54 London, Prizm Art Fair, and ART X Lagos on several occasions. He has collaborated with many esteemed brands including Macmillan Publishers, Martell, and OPPO. A core focus for him is to inspire and encourage young creatives. He does this through public speaking and mentorship, as well as through his creative collaborations.

Nwadiogbu is currently pursuing his Masters in Painting at the Royal College of Art, London, where he was awarded the Logitech Scholarship Award. He enjoys expanding his perspective -and ours, rarely ever leaving anything to chance, but rather proceeding from a place of joy, and intentional care.

Degree Details

School of Arts & HumanitiesPainting (MA)RCA2023 at Battersea and Kensington

RCA Battersea, Painting Building, First and second floors

Sponsor: Logitech Scholarship

Ken Nwadiogbu at his Royal College of Art painting studio. Picture taken by Brynley Odu Davies

My work is grounded in a view and expression of self. This principle has been critical to my passion for drawing, which signaled the start of my journey as an artist. In the beginning, I found myself motivated by the ease at which I could ‘unload’ pressing ideas by simply wielding a pen, pencil, or charcoal to just about any surface. This ‘ease’ directed me to the field of civil engineering which honed my drawing style and perhaps, made me adept in the art of precise re-imagining - a prerequisite for hyperrealism which is the landing style for my artistry.

Through my work, I reflect upon personal experiences as well as enact what appears as a social commentary on the experience of others.

Beyond the themes these experiences provide is their influence on my mediums. These influences primarily cater to my curious nature and initially began with photography and videography. The picture serves as the mold out of which my drawing is established; my knowledge of this drove me to get involved in the process of capturing what would eventually become the subjects of my work.

While hyperrealism is my entry point, it serves only as a framework for the depth and immediacy of the vision that my process ultimately reveals. I aim to forge a meaningful dialogue with my audiences, drawing upon both personal experiences and an acute social consciousness to give voice to themes of identity, representation, migration and displacement, and socio-political crises. I deploy a stream-of-consciousness narrative style such that, amidst the broader image of the work I create, there is always a substantive portion that relays the true visage of the subject to the viewer. Their interaction with these works often edges them into their stream of consciousness, leading to the realization of an idea outside the precepts of my work but one that is familiar to the viewer.

My endless fascination with the human psyche and how we can interpret our varied experiences are at the core of my work as an artist. They are critical to what I consider to be the progression of my ideas and the methods I undertake to realize them.

A painting of a girl reading a book. Done with acrylic and gold leaf on canvas.
Close up of a painting of a girl reading a book. Done with acrylic and gold leaf on canvas.
Close up of a painting of a girl reading a book. Done with acrylic and gold leaf on canvas.
Close up of a painting of a girl reading a book. Done with acrylic and gold leaf on canvas.
Close up of a painting of a girl reading a book. Done with acrylic and gold leaf on canvas.
A painting of a girl reading a book. Done with acrylic and gold leaf on canvas.
Close up of a painting of a girl reading a book. Done with acrylic and gold leaf on canvas.

Blank Pages

Through the successful interplay of abstraction and hyperrealism, this work aims to convey the capriciousness of memory. I hope to prompt viewers of my work to reflect on their own recollections and how they construct and cherish their memories.

Medium:

Acrylic and Gold leaf on Canvas

Size:

150 x 120 cm
acrylicidentitylarge-sizememorypainting
A painting done with oil and acrylic on canvas. A mixture of hyperrealism and abstraction.
Close up of a painting done with oil and acrylic on canvas. A mixture of hyperrealism and abstraction.
Close up of a painting done with oil and acrylic on canvas. A mixture of hyperrealism and abstraction.
Close up of a painting done with oil and acrylic on canvas. A mixture of hyperrealism and abstraction.
Close up of a painting done with oil and acrylic on canvas. A mixture of hyperrealism and abstraction.
A painting done with oil and acrylic on canvas. A mixture of hyperrealism and abstraction.
A painting done with oil and acrylic on canvas. A mixture of hyperrealism and abstraction.

Wish you were here

Through the successful interplay of abstraction and hyperrealism, this work aims to convey the capriciousness of memory. I hope to prompt viewers of my work to reflect on their own recollections and how they construct and cherish their memories.

Medium:

Oil and Acrylic on Canvas

Size:

200 x 230 cm
acrylicgreenidentitylarge-sizememoryoil-paintingorangeyellow
An installation done with acrylic paint on cut-out canvas, spread on a clothesline and held together by two pegs.
Close up of a painting on a cut-out canvas, spread on a clothesline and held together by two pegs.
Close up of a painting on a cut-out canvas, spread on a clothesline and held together by two pegs.
Close up of a painting on a cut-out canvas, spread on a clothesline and held together by two pegs.
Close up of a painting on a cut-out canvas, spread on a clothesline and held together by two pegs.

Hung out to dry

This artwork explores the ways in which individuals grapple with the complexities of their circumstances and the implications of their choices, highlighting the universal aspects of the human condition through a multi-faceted lens." 

Medium:

Acrylic on cut-out canvas, a clothesline and two pegs

Size:

150 x 120 cm
acrylicclothesinstallationstage
An installation featuring stacked cardboard boxes with faces of migrants painted on each box.
Acrylic on a cardboard box. A self portrait of the artist.
Acrylic on a cardboard box
Acrylic on a cardboard box
Acrylic on a cardboard box
Acrylic on a cardboard box
Acrylic on a cardboard box
Acrylic on a cardboard box
Acrylic on a cardboard box

Journey Mercies

Here, I was captivated by the utility of the cardboard box as a parcel and global trade metaphor, and how it arguably reflects the migrant experience. Each box holds a past, present, and future, to be transported across oceans, mountains, and to eventually land in a distant destination. Literally and figuratively, portraits of friends who have migrated are painted on these boxes to evoke the comprehension of their own trials as African Migrants in relation to others who have also left their homes only to find themselves in a position that mitigates achieving the goals of a life they want to live. 

Journey Mercies is a three-dimensional visual metaphor for these migratory souls. Painted in vibrant colours, the boxes combine in a way that references traditional African woven fabrics, commenting on the richness and the strength of this culture on the move.

Medium:

Charcoal and Acrylic on cardboard boxes

Size:

40 x 40 x 40 cm each box
boxesinstallation

Logitech Scholarship

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Royal College of Art

Registered Office: Royal College of Art,
Kensington Gore, South Kensington,
London SW7 2EU