The ARNDT Collection is delighted to announce the donation of Johnson Eziefula's piece "A Covalent One II" (2022) through the Australian National Cultural Gifts Program to the National Gallery of Victoria.

Eziefula (Born 1998, in Lagos, Nigeria) has become renowned for depicting young Black figures with an effortlessly impermeable and poised aura, slowly revealing parts of their stories and identities within his paintings. The works tend to reflect his belief that individuals today are constantly–and often subconsciously–shaped and moulded by cultural exchange on a global scale.

Each painting by Eziefula is a unique and captivating portrayal of the human experience, embedded with hidden autobiographical narratives born out of memories. Expertly rendered in charcoal, black porcelain-like skin tones, imbue the hazy textured paintings with a sense of personal history and identity. Through his art, Eziefula has created a space to process and express his feelings, using colour, drama, and leitmotifs to add emotional weight to the works, resulting in a compelling and moving body of work

Read an interview with the artist about the work and his practice in the museum's May/June Magazine Issue here .

Artwork caption:
Johnson Eziefula
A Covalent One II, 2022
acrylic and charcoal on canvas
153 × 122 cm