Rele gallery announced recent acquisitions including ‘The Feast Day II’, a painting by Tonia Nneji by the Jorge M. Perez Collection. Jorge M. Pérez is a billionaire philanthropist, art collector, and real estate developer from Argentina. He is most recognized for serving as The Related Group’s chairman and CEO. According to Forbes, with a net worth of $1.7 billion. Pérez, an art enthusiast and ardent collector, infuses each development with carefully chosen works from great artists. At Related buildings, artwork by Fernando Botero, Jaume Plensa, Julio LeParc, and Fabian Burgos is proudly on show, enhancing the distinctive character of each structure and frequently acting as a public component of the neighborhood landscape.
Image courtesy of Tonia Nneji/Rele Gallery
Born in Lagos State, Nigeria, contemporary artist Tonia Nneji comes from a long line of traditional carvers and masquerade carriers. Following the family tradition of artistry, she graduated with a BA (Hons) in Visual Arts from the University of Lagos, Nigeria in 2016.
In an interview conducted by Forbes, Tonia trained under Master Artist Wallace Ejoh after completing university education. “I started out with ₦50,000 ($118.00) from my mum, which was to be repaid as soon as I sold my first painting, which I did about a month later,” she says. “I could only paint in the backyard for a specific time every day to avoid disturbing other tenants and to prevent the younger kids from touching or ingesting oil paints.”
Known for her use of bold colours and intricate patterns, Nneji’s work explores the relationship between trauma and the female body. Drawing from her experience in dealing with personal health issues, she confronts a culture of suppression and silence on women’s physical and mental health, body autonomy and sexual harassment in a bid to create safe spaces where conversations could be held freely. Her work also investigates the nature of commemorative fabrics and the ways they represent and transcend notions of place and belonging.
This preoccupation with body forms and textile material navigates cultural and social meanings of fabric in contemporary African societies while also exploring the protective qualities of clothing.
A lot of Nneji’s work derives from her personal experiences with the Nigerian healthcare system as she has been diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome).
In the Forbes interview Nneji says, “I wanted my artistic practice to help educate women who suffer from the same ailment, as well as the people around them. I wanted to help them understand that there is hope, no matter how bad their situations are. With my work, I am also shedding light on the failed healthcare system in Nigeria as well as the practice of extortion and arbitrary judgment that precludes access to religious spaces in Nigeria.”
Nneji’s works have been featured in prominent publications such as Nation Newspaper, Vanguard, and the Guardian and in 2017, she was featured on BBC Africa during International Women’s Day. She was also listed in The FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 class of 2022. Her work has also been profiled by prolific Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie in her essay ‘The New Guard’ published by Harper’s Bazaar in 2020. Select group exhibitions include Dancing in Dark Times, (2021), Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, Orita Meta, (2021), Rele Gallery, Los Angeles, ItAwRAP, (2021), Rele Gallery, Lagos.
She held her debut solo exhibition You May Enter in 2020 at Rele Gallery, Lagos. In 2020, Nneji was a resident at the Art Dubai residency and is a recipient of the Ronke Ekwensi Fellowship in New Jersey. She has also presented her work at Art Dubai (2022), Art Paris (2021) and FNB Art Joburg (2019).
