Emmanuel Nwogbo The Suya Man Series
+ Artist Talk
+ Artist Talk
Installation: Monday, September 27th – Sunday, October 9th
Available 2hrs before / 1hr after other events at Neptune Theatre
Artist Conversation: Saturday, October 1st | 9PM
Emmanuel Nwogbo is a Nigerian-born visual artist who now calls Montreal home. Emmanuel grew up in Lagos, the largest city in Africa. The rich culture and heritage combined with the vibrant energy of one of the world’s cultural epicentres exposed him to the arts at an early age through colourful afrobeat musicians such as Fela Kuti, Lagbaja, and more.
This fascination for pop culture led him to pursue Visual Art and Visual Communication Design, and then a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Design at NSCAD University. After emigrating to Canada, Emmanuel discovered his love for storytelling through digital collages and photo manipulation. His digital riffs are informed by his interest in 20th Century art movements such as Pop art, Surrealism, and Dada. These styles reverberate through Nigerian culture and have inspired Emmanuel to continually explore and experiment with the interconnectedness between art, culture, and materiality.
In 2018, his exceptional creative and technical skills were showcased through his project, 365 Days of James Bond Characters. This series of daily digital posters earned Emmanuel The Coast’s Best of Halifax Reader’s Choice Award for Best Visual Artist in 2019.
As an ambassador for the Nigerian diaspora, Emmanuel’s recent works seek to shed light on all aspects of Nigerian culture in a world where preconceived biases and stereotypes about Nigeria are commonplace. He has illustrated the richness and diversity of Nigeria in his current Suya Man Series. You can follow Emmanuel’s latest visual storytelling on Instagram and his website.
The Suya Man Series
The Suya Man is a street meat vendor found on every corner, working hard to survive and provide for his family. Emmanuel explores the relationship between the common meat vendor and the wider world – from political discourse and social justice to the absurd and humourous.
“Suya is a popular spicy street meat sold on most street corners in Nigeria. Suya meat is my second favourite food item only behind fried plantain. I haven’t had homemade suya in about five years, so naturally, I decided to have a little fun with my pain. Using the stereotype that suya is sold any and everywhere in Nigeria, I figured it would be fun to place the same suya man in the most hilarious and unnatural places I can think of. Suya on the moon, suya at the pearly gates, suya underwater, suya at Hogwarts, and so on. I simply take the picture of the suya man I found on Wikipedia, remove the background and build a new world around him.”
– Emmanuel Nwogbo