Online Residency 2023

 

Bio

Cyril Oluwamuyiwa Emmanuel (b. 1995) is a contemporary artist based in Lagos, Nigeria. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, but turned to painting as a therapeutic outlet for dealing with depression. A native of Ikire, Osun state, Nigeria, his use of traditional biological materials which includes palm oil, pay homage to his homeland. For Cyril, growing up as a Yoruba tribal man, culture is a major influence; it’s a lifestyle that touches their food, dress, actions and spirituality. Self-taught artist whose practices include painting and sculpture, he draws inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci, Hieronymus Bosch, and Yinka Shonibare, and has developed a distinctive style using local, organic and biological materials, such as charcoal, palm oil, e.t.c., with prior knowledge and experience in acrylic painting. His artworks explore themes of African identities, cultures, and history, and often depict society outcasts, addressing issues of stigmatization, discrimination, and mental health. Cyril is also an advocate for human rights and environmental sustainability, and hopes to create immersive and interactive experiences that allow everyone, including individuals with disabilities, to fully appreciate his artworks.

Artist Statement

I find myself challenging the notion that painting is experienced solely through vision, it’s time we start observing art with our sense of smell!

Body Language is a series of figure paintings that portray the stories associated with body scars and deformities. I depict the figures in different states of being; sometimes deconstructed, afflicted and tortured; but elevated by a brazen and confident anatomical representation. Such body scars invoke the trauma of discrimination and depression, as I have also been deeply buried by self consciousness of my scars, which set me on the path of isolation. During isolation, my depression gradually began to fade away as I started to accept and appreciate my scars as tattoos, because they are rich with stories. Contrary to my prior concerns about scars, I felt more like myself than I ever had before once I could tell my story using art. Through the lens of my personal experience and with the visceral connection that art innately creates with its audience, I seek to open and foster a dialogue about the human body and the stories hinged on its scars, distortions, and impairments; not from an objective distance, but from the understanding and intimacy of shared pain.

As I continue to strip myself of depression caused by body scars, I became deeply sympathetic with individuals living with disabilities. The need to consider them in my artistic pursuit, compelled me to engage in critical thinking and experimentation, to be able to make art for all, using materials that represent a main part of my African identity. Nature is perceived through the senses, mainly through the sense of sight, but also through the sense of smell. My desire to empathize with people with special needs; including the blind, beget the use of palm oil to create visual and aromatic arts, that draws your eyes in and arouses your nostrils, both in a single expression. My choice of palm oil as an art medium resolved my anxiety of running out of art materials because it’s readily available locally, while also creating an original art piece that showcases my African heritage to the world.

Discrimination exists all over, it isn’t limited to gender, race nor color of one’s skin. Within an ethnic group or tribe, you can find discrimination, it is a characteristic of humanity.

 

Links

https://artelaguna.world/artist/emmanuel-cyril/

Instagram: oluwamuyiwa_art