In 2022, Nosakhare Igbinosa, Hezekiah Okon, Moses Ojeleye and Dumbor Debeeh were the fifth edition, Art Master Africa, (AMA) winners of the ballpoint pen art competition organized by BIC.
Art Master Africa is an annual competition that is open to artists and creatives across the Middle East and Africa region. The competition was incepted in 2017 in South Africa. Following its success, Art Master Africa expanded into the Africa region in 2019 and into the Middle East in 2021. The competition invites talent across Africa and the Middle East to express their creativity by producing artwork using the infamous BIC ballpoint pen.
Image courtesy of This Day
This year’s edition of the art competition themed ‘Celebrating Africa’ encouraged artists to create artworks that represent their personal identity as well as their unique perceptions of the African continent and its diverse cultures using the BIC ballpoint pen. Three Art Master Africa competition winners and six national winners from countries across the region including South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Morocco, and Tunisia were announced. The national winners across Africa included: Uganda: Celebrating Africa in Harmony with Wildlife by artist Maiku Fred; Kenya: African Culture portrait by Griffin Lundi and South Africa: Imwe hamwe na Kamere (One with Nature) by Romeon Mwiseneza. Others are, Morocco: Mother Africa by Essadik Laila and Tunisia: Africa with my pen by Mouhamed Boudhri.
Samson Nosakhare Igbinosa (First Place Winner)
Samson Nosakhare Igbinosa is a self-taught visual artist who specializes with the use of Ballpoint pen for portrait hyperrealism. His piece won $2,000 and his narrative for it is, “In the Hamer culture of the Omo valley in Ethiopia, Bona is given to an aggressive Animal. Now this isn’t a common name for a human, so those given Bona, shows signs of strength, courage and aggression. This work is a representation of the synergy between the man, his ancestral spirit and his Animal spirit which guide his life’s fate.”
Image courtesy of Samson Nosakhare Igbinosa
Hezekiah Okon (Second Place Winner)
Hezekiah Okon Asuquo, is an artist that works predominantly with pen and pencil. His second place art piece, that won the $1,000 cash prize, accompanies a story dedicated to his continent.
Africa, my continent
The second largest continent in the world
My motherland in which I have my identity
Blessed with natural resources, language, cultural heritage, music and natural beauty
Blessed with milk and honey
Blessed with great leaders of vision,
Blessed with great warriors
Bounded in peace and unity, which defines our brotherhood
Same colour, same genealogical root
One Africa, one continent, one identity
I celebrate Africa
Because I am PROUDLY AN AFRICAN!
Moses Ojeleye (Third Place Winner)
Moses Ojeleye piece “Amaka” won $500 in this the 2022 Art Master Africa prize.
Dumbor Debeeh (Third Place Winner)
Dumbor Debeeh is a developing afro surrealist visual story teller whose primary medium is a ballpoint pen. His works are imaginative, wearing its own unique forms and stories of an alternate universe, far from where we know. His piece, “Echoes of Joy” won $500 cash prize.
Image courtesy of Dumbor Debeeh
