Ara Ikú

Medium

Giclée on paper

Year

2026

Ara Ikú, meaning The Body of Death, presents a tall lean male figure in perfect left profile wearing an extraordinary agbada constructed entirely from shredded black and silver fabric, its layers falling like dark water, fluid and barely-there while remaining ceremonial and deliberate. His skull paint is in brilliant silver, the only light source in a composition set against absolute black. One arm is raised slightly forward, elbow bent, hand extended in the gentle beckoning of someone inviting you to follow somewhere you have been avoiding. The hem of the remarkable garment dissolves before it reaches the floor, the lower portion fading into the black background as if the costume is disappearing while being worn. This is a one of one original piece, the only work of its kind in the world, a mixed media fine art work of photography and digital art, Giclée printed on museum quality 310gsm Textured Fine Art Cotton Rag. A defining piece of Nigerian painting available at Naija Art Store.