Almas Art Foundation is proud to present a short documentary film and a publication celebrating the Lagos-based artist Gerald Chukwuma this September. The publication Together Together is a comprehensive exploration of Gerald Chukwuma's practice and features texts by Professor Ikenga Chuu Krydz Ikwuemesi and the acclaimed author Chibundu Onuzo. The short film Gerald Chukwuma was recently filmed across the artist’s two studios in Lagos, in June 2023.
Born in Enugu, eastern Nigeria in 1973, Chukwuma later attended the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and currently lives and works in Lagos. Chukwuma's use of traditional Uli and Nsibidi symbols, while acknowledging the connection between his work and the renowned Nsukka art tradition, signifies a profoundly personal and spiritual connection to his history and the present. Chukwuma's works are characterized by highly texturised and meticulously crafted wood panels incorporating techniques such as burning, chiselling, and painting. Chukwuma assembles these panels into weathered and storied artifacts, interwoven with personal and political significance. He keenly advocates for the environment and is deeply involved with lifting his community. Gerald Chukwuma's artistic practice reflects the extraordinary cultural production coming out of Nigeria's vibrant art ecosystem for some decades and Lagos's incredibly dynamic and multicultural atmosphere.