Divergence – Duke Asidere

Duke Asidere is one of Nigeria’s most celebrated contemporary artists with a keen following internationally and in his native Nigeria. He was born in 1961 and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with first class honours in Fine Arts (painting) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1988, and a Masters of Fine Arts in painting in 1990 from the same university. He taught painting,drawing and art history at the Federal Auchi Polytechnic for five years before starting full time studio work in Lagos in 1995.

He was mentored by Prof. Bruce Onabrakpeya and taught by Gani Odutokun who had a profound impact on his life and artistic expression. Asidere expresses himself boldly through a wide variety of genre including pencil work, engravings, oil and acrylic, pastels and even transparencies. He was raised in a household of women, which is reflected in his recurring theme of the female form in his portrait and face series.

His architecture series are a fresh perspective of African land- and city scapes, and his number and spray series have underlying political statements. Asidere has participated in and facilitated numerous international and local workshops on painting, photography, and drawing, including Colour Masters (Auchi Polytechnic, March 2011), and in a number of the annual Harmattan Workshop Series. He is well exhibited in Nigeria and internationally,his most recent being Mood Colour Harmony (Splendens Factory, Paris, May 2016).

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