Emmanuel Chukwu

Emmanuel Chukwu is an artist consistently working with painting and drawing. His recent drawings have been working on the deconstruction of his previous style of realism, to make more conceptual works that depict an intersection between the mental state and the physical experience all drawn from memory.

The drawing in this series was made on found objects, specifically a brown paper bag repurposed into a flat surface, and a brown cardboard paper. Using charcoal pencils, the single and repetitive marks create the darker parts of the drawing, and were used as a means of conveying emotional expression. The meticulous use of white pastel paint was deliberate to create a sense of presence in the artwork.

With drawing style influence from Kara Walker’s expressive sketches and silhouettes, Chukwu aims to simplify the story of the most complicated moments in his life.