Possessing a captivating mythic quality where vivid strokes of acrylic and ink are intertwined with ankara fabric, Makata creates a visual metaphor for a fractured cultural identity where evolving social values continue to fragment cultural structures
Obinna Makata (B.1981, Nigeria) obtained a degree from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, majoring in Sculpting. As a Lagos-Based Artist, his works create narrative associations that deal with cultural issues in Contemporary Nigerian society; including, cultural appropriation from the west and the lack of social infrastructure. Crudely sketched with ink and acrylic, Makata combines scraps of Ankara fabric to form the bodies and backgrounds of his figures. Possessing a captivating mythic quality where vivid strokes of acrylic and ink are intertwined with ankara fabric, Makata creates a visual metaphor for a fractured cultural identity where evolving social values continue to fragment cultural structures. With this new body of work, which he coined as “African Test-Styles”, Makata responds to the omnipresence of foreign influences that continue to threaten traditional value systems and artistic processes on the continent.
Based in Lagos, he has completed artist residencies at the Matadero Museum in Madrid, African Artists’ Foundation in Lagos and Thought Pyramid Art Centre in Abuja.