LONDON.- Knight Webb Gallery presents The Underdog, a solo exhibition by Cameroon born artist Adjani Okpu-Egbe, at 1:54 The Contemporary African Art Fair at Somerset House. The gallery is simultaneously hosting a solo exhibition of Adjani’s work at its Atlantic Road premises in Brixton - The Journey of the Underdog, autobiographical paintings of Adjani’s journey as an ‘underdog’.
The Gallery is showing ten major paintings by Adjani including his largest to date (image above) painted onto four door panels. The work features a self portrait overlooked by a double headed fish, representing his father, who is faced with a deadly black snake. Other works will include a symbolic painting of the black heroine Mary Seacole who in 2004 was voted the greatest black Briton; and a painting made on bubble-wrap entitled ‘Prostitution for Education’.
Often painting onto found materials such as reclaimed doors and windows, Adjani’s boundless imagination and experimental curiosity allow him to take salvaged materials to heart and use them as convincing metaphors. The deliberate use of discarded materials and application of paint, convey his thought process and imaginative narrative effortlessly.
The oral tradition of story telling has been passed down to Adjani from his African lineage. His stories describe his pet dogs, his fathers discipline, a bus ride in London with a one eyed survivor of the Syrian Conflict, and also his personal relationships. Whether these stories are pertinent memories or simply elaborate thoughts, they are Adjani’s own colorful and compelling insights.
Adjani ran away from his family home in Cameroon when he was just 14 and abandoned school when he was 16. Nevertheless, he managed to pass his exams and secure a place in The University of Buea. Later he served in the British Army for five years, stationed in the Middle East. The artist’s cultural disposition together with his academic background lead him to question his surroundings. He is eager to recount the challenges he has encountered on his journeys. He believes he is a relevant voice, especially to minorities, the disadvantaged or as he prefers to call it,‘The Underdogs’.
THE UNDERDOG is a word often associated with an individual or group of people whose socio- political and or cultural disposition is regarded as an inclination towards underachievement.
“I tend to look at the strength in every weakness and in the case of ‘The Underdog’, that strength spurs them on towards the realization of their goals. This strength may partly lie in the very complacency of their labeler who is often influenced by lack of foresight.
I look at the philosophy of ‘The Underdog’ as an ephemeral psychological label that can be peeled off with motivation, confidence and the determination to succeed. Many people, who through sheer resilience and unwavering dedication have gone a long way to shrug off the ‘Underdog’ label. Renowned examples are J.K Rowlings’ success after quietly writing the Harry Potter series in cafes and libraries, Nelson Mandela’s defeat of apartheid from prison, and Cameroon defeating defending champions Argentina during the opening game of the FIFA World Cup in 1990 and making it all the way to the quarter-finals. Finally, of course, the biblical battle between David and Goliath serves as a perfect summation and one does not need to be religious to understand it.
The paintings in this exhibition are stories which document the navigation of my subconscious and the socio-political and economic plight of ‘Underdogs’ anywhere and the naivety of some of the privileged ‘top dogs’ everywhere.”
