Artist bio
Joseph Obanubi is a multimedia artist born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria and based in Illinois, USA. His multifaceted practice encompasses a vast array of disciplines, including Visual Design, Art Direction, and Art Education. Obanubi's practice is characterized by an interplay of digital and tactile experimentation, as he continually seeks to harmonize visual and spatial design. Obanubi’s practice has been recognized by the British council, Mellon Foundation, CAP Prize, Googleartsandculture, CNN style, Photo vogue, amongst others. He has a Bachelor and Master’s of Art in Graphic design and Master’s of Fine Art in New media from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign respectively.
Personal Statement
Obanubi’s practice is constructed out of three main ideologies: survival, interest, and exploration. My work explores the relationship between identity, fantasy, play, technologies, within the context of globalization. He describes his art making practice as a visual bricolage — a (re)construct of fragments found in everyday experiences taken from their original context into a new one. His creative ideology stems from concepts of aggregation, erasure and re-construction, black speculation and futurism, as well as experimentation. He is as attracted to in-between states as opposed to directness.
Research methods include physical and digital image making techniques, photographing, drawing, collaging, reading, traveling, observation, interview, experiments, documentary, and movies.
Some primary texts he reviews are music, films, social-media, oratory/storytelling, and Fiction. Obanubi’s ongoing Research questions and statements revolve around strategies of constructing alternative ways of seeing and blurring the divide between what is present and what could be. He is concerned with materiality and what it communicates in his practice. He is constantly exploring and navigating the roles of time and ephemeralness as it concerns (new) technologies in his work
Press / Publications / Features
https://www.artnewspaper.fr/2020/12/07/joseph-obanubi-water-aid-iv-serie-techno-heads
https://loeildelaphotographie.com/en/cap-prize-contemporary-african-photography-dv/
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/self-portrait-joseph-obanubi/XgHRCOF8_E4i2Q?hl=en
https://www.capprize.com/landing/winners2021
https://equivalence-shop.com/p/european-photography-113
https://kam.illinois.edu/resource/design-notebook-joseph-obanubi-global-africa-community-forum
https://loeildelaphotographie.com/en/joseph-obanubi-at-akaa-2020-dv/
https://www.see-zeen.com/joseph-obanubi
https://contemporaryand.com/exhibition/hilary-balu-and-joseph-obanubi/
https://www.lookingglasscollective.com/josephobanubi
https://reallifemag.com/speech-bubbles/
https://www.1854.photography/2020/07/wateraid-10-years-of-clean-water/
https://hri.illinois.edu/news/second-cohort-interseminars-graduate-fellows-announced
https://www.artshelp.com/joseph-obanubis-futuristic-photographs/
https://www.museorigins.org/discover/techno-heads-by-joseph-obanubi
https://www.atelierboba.com/quelques-projets/joseph-obanubi
https://www.artandaboutafrica.com/artiststudio/nigeria/joseph-obanubi/
https://uaac-aauc.com/2020/b7.html
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDMK-EoJsPG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/CO-ncibC5Zq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://universes.art/en/art-destinations/sharjah/art-events/vantage-point-sharjah-8/joseph-obanubi
http://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/exhibitions/vantage-point-sharjah-8
https://www.1-54.com/marrakech/artists/obanubi-joseph/
http://www.magnin-a.com/cspdocs/exhibition/files/press_release_joseph_obanubi_hilary_balu.pdf
https://ko-artspace.com/artists/33-joseph-obanubi/
https://www.capprize.com/landing/shortlist2021
https://www.collectorseries.tv/collectorseries/1/18
https://photovoguefestival.vogue.it/visions-from-the-world/project/lagosphoto-festival?refresh_ce=
https://uaac-aauc.com/2020/b7.html
https://www.wateraid.org/ng/stories/tenxten
https://www.arthousefoundation-ng.com/artists
https://dtdf.de/portfolio/joseph-obanubi-2020/
https://diemotive.de/joseph-obanubi-nominated-for-merck-prize-2020/
https://www.montaguecontemporary.com/exhibitions/25-lagos-photo-21-osborne-macharia/overview/
https://www.capprize.com/landing/2019/5/15/cap-prize-2019-winners-announcement
https://www.diptykmag.com/3-jeunes-artistes-africains-a-suivre-absolument/
https://www.capprize.com/landing/shortlist2019
https://arthouse-ng.com/artists/obanubi-joseph
https://potd.pdnonline.com/2019/11/04/57589/
https://thenativemag.com/deeply-african-appeal-polartics/
https://www.omenkaonline.com/joseph-obanubi-on-afro-surrealism-and-metaphysics/
https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/art-design/2020/07/pictures-water-human-right
https://www.montaguecontemporary.com/exhibitions/25-lagos-photo-21-osborne-macharia/overview/
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8qeskweb33AMk9wckZjVjF6R2oybWJjdTRCYllfSmowSXRJ/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8qeskweb33AbEVtR0Nrak55cXlJZ0F0Y3lCemdDZnZ6cERV/view
https://akaafair.com/artistes?id=6519
https://www.blind-magazine.com/news/ten-great-reasons-to-attend-art-paris/
https://arthouse-ng.com/artists/obanubi-joseph/
https://www.1-54.com/london/artists/obanubi-joseph/
https://www.1-54.com/marrakech/artists/obanubi-joseph/
https://www.artnewspaper.fr/2020/12/07/joseph-obanubi-water-aid-iv-serie-techno-heads
https://www.arthousefoundation-ng.com/artists
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/11/lagosphoto21-a-kaleidoscope-of-memories/
http://www.artcapitalghana.com/joseph-obanubi-another-afro-futurist/
https://www.1854.photography/2020/07/wateraid-10-years-of-clean-water/
https://artxlagos.com/Joseph-Obanubi-Dusk-2018-arch-d
https://twitter.com/artxlagos/status/1462402270713241603
https://lfi-online.de/ceemes/en/news/cap-2021_22-1007409.html
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2021/11/14/engaging-offering-so-sizzling-in-their-freshness/
https://www.voice.com/josephobanubi