Prosper Aluu
Abfillage
Born and raised in Nigeria, West Africa, Prosper Aluu makes figurative and expressive paintings. Prosper grew up drawing comics and characters which enabled him to understand the human figure and expressions properly, after which he became a full time studio artist in 2017. Prosper studied at the Federal University of Technology Owerri, where he learnt Building technology with an architectural background on designing. He also acquired expertise in graphic design, illustration, 3D modelling, video editing and animation. In 2018, he had his first official art exhibition where he won the Peace Poster award for his painting on Peace at the ANBUKRAFT. He has participated in several exhibitions and competitions since then and has won some of them. In 2020, he was signed as a brand ambassador to TECNO mobile Nigeria on a one year deal. His stylized figures show the use of the artistic devices of elongation and exaggeration and his unique style of painting the iconic afro hairstyle. These are his ways of celebrating and negotiating African identity. Prosper plays with the size, forms and presentation of the head of the figures in his paintings as a visual pun to challenge what he considers a one-sided narrative about the size of the head in traditional African art. By using Nigerian newspapers in his works, he tells stories of past by preserving stories of the present. While he focuses on black identity, with this he believes that in order to preserve culture, he must continue to create it. He pours colors over these newspapers to beautify and sugarcoat the tragedy and frustration of living in his country. This process, he refers to as "Abfillage" (A portmanteau of Abstract, Figurative and collage). His style of painting rich afro hairstyles and golden crowns on the heads of his figures are meant to ennoble and dignify the subject. His works has appeared in countries like South Africa, United kingdom, United States, Canada, Japan, etc.
Nigeria, b. 1999.
Nigeria, b. 1999.
