Eghosa R. Akenbor

Artist

Eghosa Raymond Akenboh was born in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria in 1982. Raymond continues to create passionate and experimental works, grounded in expression deeply rooted in his cultural environment. In 2008, he graduated from Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State, with a Higher National Diploma (HND) majoring in General Art and Painting. He originally earned a diploma in Microbiology and pursued a career in science, but realized his true passion lay not in science but in creative expression, and decided to pursue a career in art.

This decision has changed his life dramatically, bringing him a deep sense of purpose and fulfillment. He began his professional career in 2009, teaching art at a missionary secondary school in Benin City for 12 years while continuing to create art while working alongside it. In 2022, he decided to leave education to focus on studio work, and since then, he has been exploring his artistic vision more deeply.

He became heavily influenced by traditional African art, particularly the work of renowned Nigerian artists Bruce Onobrakpeya, Uche Okeke, and Victor Ekpuku, as well as Western modernist artists such as Piet Mondrian, Franz Kline, Joan Mitchell, and Alberto Giacometti.

However, it is his immediate environment that has had the greatest influence on his style, incorporating elements from fashion, textile design, patterns, architectural motifs, and traditional crafts into his work. Eghosa also works with a variety of media, including acrylic paint, markers, spray paint, and pastels, and incorporates familiar materials such as newspapers, magazines, buttons, cardboard, foam, and yarn into his works, transforming everyday objects into meaningful artistic expression. For him, everything around him is a potential medium for expression and a homage to the world that supports creativity.