Austen Amaefule was born, and has spent most of his life, in Lagos, Nigeria. While studying medicine at the College of Medicine at the University of Lagos, where he specialized in Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics, Austen was compelled to also create art.
Although self-taught, having received no formal training, Amaefule has admired, and been heavily influenced by, the works of newer generation contemporary Nigerian artists like Ken Nwadiogbu and Okolo Oliver. Amaefule says that he directly and indirectly learned from them.
Amaefule creates contemporary works, infused surrealistic and traditional elements into his pieces, most notable are images of crows and ravens. Because, as he explains,” these two birds, despite being beautiful and being one of the smartest animal species, they are always misunderstood and tend to be associated with darkness and evil, particularly because of their color (black).” Although his works are also heavily influenced by the hyperrealism movement of recent years, Amaefule blends various elements into his originals so that they become more than simple replicas of whatever reference photos he uses.
Amaefule is proficient in a variety of media, including charcoal, graphic, ink, acrylic and more recently oils. The art of Austen Amaefule is heavily dictated not only by his culture, but more importantly by his struggles and those of his generation. For instance, in his series “The Lost Seed’, Amaefule admits that the series speaks to his feelings of inadequacy and his naivety about his Igbo culture. “I know so little and can barely speak my mother tongue, Igbo.” Questions about religion, struggles with grief, responsibility, and even “Japa” culture are some of the influences that are present across his pieces.
Amaefule participated in his first exhibition, the Grow Up group exhibition in December 2022 at the Art Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria and has since exhibited at the Artist Commune and Nigerian Contemporary Art Exhibition in Malta in 2023. Now, Amaefule has secured representation by E&S Gallery, America’s largest, oldest African American owned and operated art and custom framing gallery, which will exhibit his art throughout the U.S.
