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PAST EVENTS
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The Essential Jimo Akolo
A Retrospective of Drawings and Paintings 15 February - 12 March 2022 kó Gallery is very delighted to present The Essential Jimo Akolo: A Retrospective of Drawings and Paintings from 1961 to 2015. For the first time in Lagos, kó will be presenting a rare Zaria Art School graduate of 1961, a member of the Zaria Art Society. Considered by some scholars as a rebel of the “rebels”. Over thirty-one drawings and paintings of the artist’s collection will be featured. The exhibition also has works loaned from some private collectors in Nigeria that are also included in this show. In addition, images of his early works in the collection of Bristol Museum, the University of Sussex, in Britain, and Yemisi Shyllon Museum Nigeria will be included in the well-illustrated catalogue to give the art community a rare glimpse into the artist’s creative oeuvre and his unspoken place on the stage of contemporary Nigerian art. ABOUT THE ARTIST Jimo Akolo (b. 1935) Jimo Akolo is a retired professor of art education who combined art teaching, administration, and a vibrant art career like any of his contemporaries. Born in Egbe, Kogi State, Nigeria, Jimo Bola Akolo’s artworks focus on indigenous cultural traditions, and the depiction of everyday life. Working predominantly as a painter, Akolo’s work is influenced by designs and patterns reminiscent of Hausa architecture and art. Renowned for his unwavering adherence to the principles of individual artistic freedom, Akolo deeply engages with the enchanting Zaria city scenery, landscapes and its people with refreshing aesthetic, and philosophical perspective. Other subjects of interest are horse riders at festivals, and at war, festive dancers, sportsmen, all rendered in loose brushstrokes, yet intense colours. His drawings are expressed in strong and bold contemplative lines. Jimo Akolo studied under Dennis Duerden, an education officer in the Nigerian Colonial Service at Keffi Government College. During this period, he started painting and was included in the 1956 exhibition Keffi Boys at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Jimo attended the Nigerian College of Arts, Science, and Technology, and was a founding member of the Zaria Art Society, along with Yusuf Grillo, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Demas Nwoko, Uche Okeke. He later studied at the Hornsey College of Art in London, and Indiana State University in Bloomington. In 1966, he joined the faculty at Ahmadu Bello University where he taught for over three decades. Akolo received Nigeria’s national Cultural Trophy and has participated in various exhibitions at the Commonwealth Institute Art Gallery (London), National Gallery of Art (Nigeria), Nigerian Art Council, second Havana Biennial (Cuba), Ohio State University Annual Symposium on African and West (USA) among others. Professor Jerry Buhari of the Department of Fine Art, Ahmadu Bello University is the curator of the exhibition. -
Chike Obeagu
Cogitations 30 October - 13 November 2021 Cogitations features the artist’s newest mixed-media collages formed through scraps of magazines, newspapers and waste fabrics. These large-scale canvases depict commonplace scenes which serve as metaphors for diverse issues in... -
Art X Lagos 2021
Tayo Adenaike, Obiora Anidi, Ozioma Onuzulike, Araba Opoku, Yadichinma Ukoha-Kalu November 4-7, 2021 -
Art X Lagos 2021: A Tribute to Yusuf Grillo
November 4-7, 2021 -
Untitled Miami Art Fair
Edozie Anedu, Diana Ejaita, Joseph Obanubi, Stephen Tayo November 29-December 4, 2021
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About Us
kó is an art space based in Lagos, Nigeria, that is dedicated to promoting modern and contemporary art.
kó has a dual focus in championing Nigeria’s leading artists from the modern period and celebrating emerging and established contemporary artists across Africa and the Diaspora.
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PRESS
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The 15 Best Booths at Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2021
October 14, 2021 For its first Frieze Masters showing, Lagos-based gallery kó has turned its focus to Nigerian painter and poet Obiora Udechukwu , presenting a series of paintings and drawings completed between... -
Tate acquires new works at Frieze thanks to fund supported by Endeavor
October 13, 2021 The following works have been acquired for Tate’s collection thanks to the Frieze Tate Fund 2021 supported by Endeavor: Obiora Udechukwu (b. 1946) The moon Has Ascended between us 1976... -
Uzo Egonu: Prints
September 18, 2021 kó presents a solo exhibition of screen prints by Nigerian modernist Uzo Egonu (1931-1996), taking place September 18- October 7, 2021. Uzo Egonu was a Nigerian-born artist who settled in... -
Frieze week highlights: contemporary African art comes to London
October 7, 2021 There’s no better time than Frieze Week to appreciate the sheer amount of contemporary African art you can see in London these days. Partly this is thanks to 1-54 contemporary...
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