BIO

Timi Kakandar was born in 1973 in Lagos, Nigeria, where he still lives and works.

He began his artistic path as a painter immediately after graduating at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, in 1999, but he had been already mentored by Jubilee Owei in the early 1990s; this had a profound impact on his life and career. He soon became one of the most prolific contemporary Nigerian artists, and now he is globally collected. In Lagos, Kakandar is a member of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) Lagos Chapter.

His fascination with the human form when it comes to political and social issues led him to work with pencil drawings, acrylic, oil, pastels, and then with painting, drawing and collage to explore the African space, allowing people to clearly distinguish his unique ability. In the end, he realizes art pieces of a profound intensity of bright raw colours, reminiscent of the Fauvist ethos, and fine gestural lines, revealing a presence which emotionally engages the viewer. “Darkness will always serve the light”, goes a popular proverb, and Kakandar’s most recent palette seems to tease that notion.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS