Acrylic, charcoal, chalk, and oil pastel on canvas
107 x 92 cm / 42 x 36 in
2021
Lagos-based visual artist, Wahab Saheed (b. 1988, Lagos, Nigeria) is known for his powerful multimedia portraits of charcoal marks contrasted with vivid colors. Saheed artfully frames his subjects to express the complexity of human conditions: by juxtaposing the prominence of the brightly colored pastel and acrylic paint to the gloomy and bleak expressions of the figures drawn in charcoal. The use of charcoal allows Saheed to capture the expressions, the internal struggles, and nuances of his subjects, while connecting him to a broader legacy of art history. His works represent stories that are “shared in quiet moments of repose,” by allowing the sitters to act as candid as possible to capture the person’s essence. He recently concluded his exhibition On This Field of Green in Unit London.
