Riding on the success of his many exhibitions, both solo and joint, across the country, Africa and the world, Chika Idu, an international visual artist, who is based in Lagos, will be exhibiting some of his works at Ashanti Gallery Abuja.
Located at Abubakar Koko Avenue, about 200 meters after the Holy Family Church in Life Camp Area, Gwarimpa, Abuja, the gallery will be alive with many enthralling works by Idu, who is a master painter.
The solo exhibition, which will feature works across oil and acrylic paintings, will hold from September 16-30, 2022 from 10am to 6pm daily, amid an opening reception on September 15, 2022 at 6pm with drinks and finger food for deserving lovers of art, among other guests.
Speaking on the reasons to see the exhibition, Ashanti Gallery noted that Chika Idu’s reputation speaks volume of his creative ingenuity.
It is also proud to host the artist whose works are currently enjoying local and international attention due to his rich resourceful palette and expressions.
“We are proud to mention that in our long and rewarding years as promoters of Nigerian and African art we have featured exhibitions of great artists such as; Dr. Bruce Onobrakpeya, Mavua Lessor, Ben Ibebe, Diseye Tantua, just to mention a few and now Chika Idu”, stated the gallery, which is the first gallery to open in Abuja.
Read also: Over 100 foreign investors to attend Abuja trade fair in September
“We pride ourselves as a melting pot for artists, art lovers and collectors as we offer one of the most conducive and safe environments for arts business to thrive.
“We are also a sales point for handmade rare and customized jewelry. We can also boast of serving the best coffee and cakes in town and need we mention that this is born out of secret recipes from our founder and owner‘s mother.
Chika Idu was born in 1974 in Delta Nigeria, his parents moved to Lagos where he has lived till date, he had his art education in Auchi Polytechnic in Edo State, a school famous for its colourist and liberal approach to art. These experiences and exposures will later have strong influences on his themes, styles and freedom in his experimental and restlessness as an artist.
Chika‘s themes center around women and children, these can be related to his earlier years experiences growing up in the middle class family and society.
Chika is very liberal in his approach to art as he dislikes being classified under schools or art movements, which he calls ‘boxes’. He likes to regard himself as a self expressive artist and this is evident in his use of material and techniques.
His current body of works centers on social interactions as he interrogates characters from the dispositions of cultural, traditional and religious influences. Moreover, Idu is a seasoned artist whose works are wildly collected, his most recent exhibition was a solo exhibition in Kuaba Gallery in Indiana, USA 2019 and another solo in Sachs Gallery, Lagos Nigeria 2021. He was mentioned in Stewart’s article on black artists worth collecting in2021 (USA) and BusinessDay‘s Nigerian Artists to Watch Out For in 2022.
