Art Work
“Paintings are but research and experiment. I never do a painting as a work of art. All of them are research. I search constantly and there is a logical sequence in all this research.”
"Pablo Picasso "
WHO AM I
A boy or a girl
an identity the world can’t quantify
The first-born child or the favoured one
The only child or my father’s clone
Who am I,
Is this my dream, or someone else’s desire
A baton exchange in this rat race
Am I talented or just hardworking
Am I an imposter
mehnn…I haven’t even figured out walking
Who am I
A businessman, an entrepreneur, or a capitalist
A smart mind, a good eye, or an opportunist taking advantage.
A whale, a shark, a Siberian tiger, or a new creation
A privileged white man or an inherited burden from a past generation
A lonely road or a glorified position
The 1% or just an individual trying to transition
Who I am, is at whose expense?
My conscience, my life, a village, or an entire continent
Who am I
The golden child with my golden boot
Accolades on accolades, part of the chosen few
The retribution of my family
My family's pride and joy
Verified, sort after, but no community to call mine
Envied by my own, taken advantage of but not stupid
Can I say, “Mama I made it”, Send me your digits Love cupid
Or that’s just a covering for so many epic fails
A broken man with so many secrets
A broken marriage hiding my mistress
Traditional but still modern
A global icon but still someone’s own son
Who am I
A house nigga, or a helper
A true friend or a fiend
A little finger
profiting of people's identities in this Game of Thrones
Glamorized as telling their story but not of your own
Are you a friend or a foe
Or u just surviving holding on to something that Is not your own
Are they your insecure lifeline holding on for dear life
Promoting their bad habits adding to your archives
A father protecting his legacy
This is my investment and the only lane I see
Who am I
A wife, a partner, a friend, or a side chick,
A man I love, a culture I admire
A fan or a fetish, my true love, or an experience I desire
At home it’s all love, outside… I wish I wore gloves.
Envied by his women, the gaze, the stares
What then is home, what Is community,
or am I overthinking, and this are just fears
Home, community, family
Is it the one you grew up with or the one you make
Am I bearing the consequences of my forefathers
a burden I didn’t undertake,
is this a whole big mistake,
but do they know, I am his peace,
his love, his heart ,When we kiss,
I reminisce his love, his words,
Did I miss something that happened in history
Who am I is still a mystery,
Who am I
a mask
A plaque,
an artefact
an object
A heritage or a story
Made from earth and to earth I return
My identity misappropriated, my story lost
My people hide behind my face
Will I be immortalised or be profited by my own race
My gaze hides people intention
Do they know the real hands behind my invention
Who are we
a society
Comfortable in social commentary
Behind our phones, positions, or geo locations
Framed as Minding our business but really
Better be safe than sorry.
These grounds we walk on do they know the pain
Do they know the story
Heroes with blood on their hands and we call it glory
Are we a race tired of past turmoil’s
Or are we trying to unmask our heritage.
Who are we
An observer
A pacifist, An activist,
An idea or a pawn
A nation or an individual
Who are u
The talent
The middle man
the benefactor
The masked one
Or the forgotten ones
Link to online poem: Who am I
A Poem by Tonye Ekine
01
Behind the Scenes
Year: 2022
Size: 190cm x 160cm
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
The Traveler's Head
What goes on in my head, what goes on in my mind
In the rain and darkness, Silence is all I find
The Race to Riches, My Life in Stitches,
No women, no mistress, No Memory, just glitches,
In this house of glass
My masks reside
Like trophies on the wall
Evidence of my grind,
My identity, my cross, I leave behind.
As I sat in silence, in this world of mine
My masks tell the stories of the world untold
Come in. Come all, outside is cold
Grab a drink, grab a seat as I pass you this thread
let’s sit, and discuss, what goes on in my head.
02
The Traveler's Head
Title: The traveler’s head
Size: 3.5ft x 3.5ft
Material: Acrylic, Charcoal, and Graphite on Wood
03
"Wo ju"
Year: 2023
Size: 49.5cm x 69cm
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
04
If I had to chose
Year: 2023
Size: 90cm x 90cm
Medium: Acrylic on Linen
05
If I had to chose
Year: 2023
Size: 90cm x 90cm
Medium: Acrylic on Linen
06
A Distant Memory
Year: 2023
Size: 49cm x 69cm
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
07
Urfada
Year: 2022
Size: 180cm x 60cm
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
08
Cherry on top
Year: 2023
Size: 180cm x 60cm
Medium: Acrylic on Linen
09
Center of Attention
Year: 2023
Size: 180cm x 120cm
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
10
The Calm Within
Year: 2023
Size: 90cm x 90cm
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
11
Freedom
Year: 2023
Size: 180cm x 60cm
Medium: Acrylic on Linen
12
Date night
Year: 2023
Size: 180cm x 150cm
Medium: Acrylic on Linen