[dropcap custom_class=”normal”]Victor Ehikhamenor is a multi talented and an award winning Nigerian writer, visual artist, and photographer. He grew up in an art home with maternal grandfather; a very successful blacksmith, paternal grandmother a cloth weaver and an uncle who is a renowned photographer. So to him art was a natural and gradual development due to his background. Ehikhamenor’s influence comes from traditional African motifs and religious cosmology. [/dropcap] He attended Bendel State University, Ekpoma (now Ambrose Alli University) where he earned a BA degree in English and Literary Studies, an MS in Technology Management from University of Maryland and a Masters of Fine Art in Creative from the University Of Maryland, USA.
Place of Birth: Udomi-Uwessan, Edo State.
Date of Birth: 19th February, 1970
Ehikhamenor’s art is described in his bio as abstract, symbolic and politically motivated works with ties to his Benin Kingdom background. The work itself is at once striking, colourful and has an unmistakeably African aesthetic.
He has published numerous fiction and essays with academic journals, mainstream magazines and newspapers around the world. His art and photographs have been used as book covers by award-winning authors like Chimamanda Adichie, Helon Habila, Unomah Azuah, Tony Kan and many others.
He has numerous art exhibitions around the world, some of which are “Chronicles of the Enchanted World”, “Amusing the Muse”, “Coup Plotter before shower’ and more. He was the first Nigerian to be shown at the Science and Industry Museum, in Chicago, Illinois in 2008 at the Black Creativity exhibition.
He has participated in shows such as Invasion of Privacy, Jennings Gallery, Washington, D.C (2008), Labyrinth of Memories, Didi Museum, Lagos, Nigeria (2007), Beyond The River, Embassy Of Grenada, Washington, D.C. (2006), Divine Intervention, Howard University A J Blackburn Center Gallery, Washington, D.C. and Talking Walls, BB&T Bank, NW Washington, D.C. (2005), Discovering the gods, Monroe Gallery, Arts Club of Washington.
He has also received several awards and honours such as the Leon Forest Scholar Award for fiction, New York (2008), Breadloaf Writer’s Conference Scholarship award for Non-Fiction, US, Familiar Streets Writing Contest award for A Beautiful Freedom by Hyman S. & Freda Bernstein Jewish Literary Festival, Washington, D.C. (2006), Short Story Award for The Supreme Command by Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, London, UK (2003) and First Place, Arts Club of Washington Juried Exhibition. Juror, Dr. Kimberly A. Jones, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. (2000).
Sources
