Nigerian music sensation Mr Eazi has unveiled his much-anticipated exhibition, ‘The Evil Genius,’ coinciding with Accra Cultural Week 2023, and the experience was nothing short of extraordinary.
Nestled in the luxurious Kempinski Hotel, the 1957 Gallery in Accra, witnessed a remarkable gathering of ‘Bankulize’ fans and art enthusiasts alike on Wednesday, September 13, 2023.
The event, a prelude to his album release scheduled for October 27, offered a unique blend of art and music experiences which allowed fans to immerse themselves in every song on the album alongside captivating artwork inspired by the music.
Accra, a city close to Mr. Eazi’s heart as the place where he began his recording career and gained fame, provided the perfect backdrop for this exhibition listening experience.
“I curated these authentic and inspiring arts together with amazing artists across the continent because, for me, art is the completing part of the project. The art is the visual representation of what you’re hearing, from the sounds to the visuals,” Mr. Eazi stated.
View this post on Instagram
The event will span from September 13 to 18, 2023 aligning with Accra’s annual Cultural Week.
What sets this exhibition apart is the merging of music and art. Each song on Mr Eazi’s upcoming album has been transformed into a stunning work of art by 13 talented artists from eight different African countries.
Among the featured artists are Dominique Zinkpe from Cotonou, Edozie Anedu from Lagos, and Sesse Elangwe, a Cameroonian artist based in Texas.
READ MORE: Pan-Africanism in Focus: Dikan Gallery Unveils Captivating Home is more than a Place Exhibition
Notably, Sesse Elangwe is one of two artists who interpreted the album’s first single, ‘Chop Time, No Friend,’ creating ‘The Way I See It’ (2023), a mixed collage piece that integrates highlights from Mr. Eazi’s non-music career and personal life.
This visionary project is funded by Choplife IP, a company founded by Mr. Eazi to invest in various aspects of African culture, from music to film.
The concept for this unique exhibition was conceived during a period when Mr. Eazi felt uninspired by his music career. In 2021, while recording the album in Benin, he stumbled upon the irreverent, skeletal etchings of Patricorel, a native of Cotonou.
The impact of Patricorel’s art awakened Mr. Eazi’s passion for visual art and ignited the idea to collaborate with artists for his upcoming album.
This artistic journey was further nurtured with the guidance of Hannah O’Leary, Sotheby’s head of Modern and Contemporary African Art, and Joseph Awuah-Darko, director of Ghana’s Noldor Artist Residency.
Following its debut in Accra, ‘The Evil Genius’ exhibition will embark on a global tour, stopping in London as part of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair’s Special Projects at Somerset House from October 12 to 15, 2023.
Collaborating with Touria El Glaoui, the founding director of 1-54, Mr Eazi is set to take the London leg of the exhibition by storm.
Touria expressed her excitement about this collaboration in an interview with The Art Newspaper, stating, “Mr. Eazi is one of the biggest Afrobeats artists in the world right now… For me, it’s exciting to see an internationally acclaimed musician platforming the work of emerging African artists.”