Tonye Ekine’s practice examines societal issues and personal dilemmas through figurative works that weave emotion, persona, and identity into a dialogue between heritage and the contemporary. A recurring motif throughout his practice, the mask, anchors as both a formal and conceptual device. Drawing on the Yoruba Bronze Head from Ife, Ekine reanimates familiar visual symbols and interrogate ideas of value, belonging, and history.
With a background in design, Ekine approaches the canvas as a blank file, directing scenes, selecting characters, and composing gestures with intention. His process is influenced by life drawing, advertising, film, and everyday conversations, blending fragments into larger, thought-provoking narratives. Moving between drawing and painting, finished and unfinished, his work invites audiences to “unpuzzle” meaning while reflecting on their own roles within a wider, shifting social ecosystem.
Ekine completed an MFA in Drawing at Camberwell College of Arts in 2022. Tonye’s work has been featured in leading editorial publications including Harper’s Bazaar, The Guardian, and Artiq, amongst others.