From Shore to Studio

SMO Contemporary Art is pleased to present Pure Water at ARAMI, a solo exhibition of paintings and powerful portraits by Chika Idu, which explores ecology, history, migration, innocence and liberty through the faces of African women and children juxta-posed against submerged figures swimming in a pristine underwater world.
The works draw the viewer into an immersive natural world in which swimmers float and move with an apparent sense of intention, evoking a space of wonder and possibility. The figures drift within a pristine ecosystem removed from the restrictions of the world above.
Pure Water introduces a critical and ironic reference to Idu’s aspiration for a balanced world, while the term also refers to the plastic “pure water” drinking sachets, used to quench the thirst of millions of Nigerians within heavily populated and polluted city centers. These water sachets clog up the drains and waterways, becoming an environmental hazard which affects people’s quality of life.
In Pure Water, Idu’s figures and portraits draw attention to the environmental realities faced by urban and coastal communities, and advocates for “pure waters”. His figures swim towards freedom despite all odds. Through the fluidity of their light speckled under-water reverie, Idu creates scenes of youthful innocence, where children have capacity for freedom and adventure, despite life’s uncertain currents and societal pressures.
The exhibition is accompanied by a short film, From Shore to Studio, showing the artist exploring and documenting coastal life, and working in his studio to create his masterpieces. His oil and acrylic paintings on canvas and delicate water colors on paper are a choreography of life. His portraits of children and women have a gaze which defy all odds. Beneath the surface, where currents are built from layered palette-knife strokes, the water has a presence and energy of its own. His unique style of impasto painting catches and refracts light in motion. Idu’s characters, whether on land or in the sea, move with confidence and a sense of adventure.