Akirash
2010
Akirash was born in Nigeria. He studied at the "Institute of Textile, Technology, Arts and Design (ITTAD)" in Lagos, and he is living in Accra, Ghana. In his works, he experiments with different media: paintings, assemblage, sculpture and performance, and they are often related to social thematics.
We went to the studio to ask him some questions about his work and his experience in Amsterdam.
The studio was completely absorbed in his colourful works. Around 10 big canvases were hanging, with bright colors and a lot of small objects sewn on them (for example, an Amsterdam tram ticket, beer tops and more). In fact, when Akirash travels, he tries to get inspired by the place that he visits, without having a previous plan. That is why his last two paintings made in Amsterdam are inspired by the importance of the bike in the city, and the other one by the Amsterdam World Cup Celebration on the 13th of July 2010.
This paintings-assemblage are a mix of recognizable elements of the city enriched by his personal impressions of it.
"My works are in the form of psychological findings, expression, experiment, research, through the world of creative ideas, which brings discussions, debates, and talks among lots of people without the conventional ink on paper. It opens the eyes of humanity to the spirit of triumphs of life, even for one day. My work calls attention to those moments. All my life, I have loved sharing my creative ideals and thoughts with young talents. My works are assembling, attaching, gluing, painting, and it addresses education, social life, culture, politics, economy, performances, and above all, environmental issues."
Akirash links