If you had seen his recent exhibition in one of the top galleries in Paris, you would be proud of Daniel Pengrapher Oshundaro, a multidisciplinary Nigerian artist, who is flying the flag of the country high abroad and at home.
As well, if you have encountered any work from his experimental expression, especially his famous Flower Vase series, you will marvel at the sheer creative ingenuity, while affirming that the artist is really on the rise.
True to his multidisciplinary nature, Pengrapher is a Nigerian figurative abstract artist, sculptor, and muralist whose practice reflects and engages how his individualistic beliefs, aspirations, and personality become attached to the work he creates.
His work represents the self-expression of thoughts and experiences from his environment by referencing classical compositions using a combination of colors, lines, texture, and symbolism.
Taking African aesthetics to the next level, the prominent uprising African artist in the diaspora, works through the theme of communicative interaction using the knowledge of the known with a touch of new age style. Contributing so much to modern art, the use of classical, neo-classical, and renaissance art as a source of inspiration to artists is widely seen due to the intervention and its glorious praises. The young Nigerian painter, as an artist, decided to take his inspiration from such artistic periods.
However, some call it ‘genius’; the main idea is to have combinations of mediums and disciplines in space to achieve one image. The reconstruction of these famous paintings has struck a sense of humor in its viewers and critics.
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Taking a look at the Guernica 1937 from Picasso; this oil painting was done following the German bombing of Guernica, a city in Spain’s Basque region. The painting had several conflicting reviews when it was shown in the Spanish Republic Pavilion at the world’s fair in Paris, but it became an icon as it travelled the world in the ensuing years, raising controversies on its meaning and suitable place.
Now, it is in a painting looking like it has found its right home while an artist is trying to recreate the drawing, but also, there are textile elements and realistic elements to show the combination. Pals as an infusion is a self-creation from the artist himself.
Moreover, following the Paris exhibition, he also thrilled lovers of visual art at his Lagos joint exhibition, which was held at Affinity Art Gallery, Victoria Island, Lagos from December 18, 2022 to January 14, 2013.
With his works, he explores the old and the new by fusing elements of classical art with his own contemporary style. Using sometimes recognizable scenes from well-known classical paintings, he reinterprets them by changing the context surrounding them into situations and stories relatable to his own personal life as well as the present times.
Daniel Pengrapher Oshundaro received his BA in Creative Art from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and his BA in sculpture from the Academy of Arts, Novi Sad, Serbia. In 2021, he was awarded a BEA scholarship to further his artistic journey. He also received honorary awards upon finishing his BA degree. Pengrapher has participated in exhibitions like FINESSE, Affinity Art Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria.2022, Classique! Afikaris Gallery Paris, France 2022, Slama Land Art Festival NS22, Novi sad, Serbia 2022, Final exhibition, Academy of Arts, Novi sad, Serbia, 2022, Art3f BRUSSELS, Vangogh Art gallery Contemporary Art Fair, 2021, Concordant conveyances, mitochondria Gallery, Houston, USA. 2021.
