Born in 1980, David Obi is a contemporary artist who works in diverse mediums. Exploring identity memory and conscientious rendering, his artworks are a part of reputed collections. David has exhibited in galleries across the world which include countries like Oslo, Karlskoga, Stockholm, Gothenburg, the UK, and the United States of America, among others. Although they depict portraiture and figurative forms, they are expressionistic and political in approach.
David began his art practice at the early age of five. Over the years, traversing formative training and later establishing his visual language, he has practised abstract as well as landscapes. Intuitive and spontaneous, his portraits grow through a meticulous process. The works delve into concepts of emotions, facial expressions and contemplation over life. Keeping it straightforward, the gestures and realistic technique meander a road beyond, through the selection of assorted colour palettes. Having grown up in the populated city of Lagos in Nigeria, David later shifted to Sweden. Eventually, his residence in Gothenburg exposed him to European architecture, which gradually incorporated into his works. David is inspired by European abstract masters like Paul Gauguin, Lucien Freud, and David Hockney
David’s portraits retain the exotic essence of his native, focusing on the concerns of diaspora and community. While some portraits cross the threshold of realistic rendition, others become a precursor of renewed validity. They are stances of emotive movements that are unperturbed but revealed through the indications of the face.