CHICAGO, IL: Elephant Room Gallery is honored and thrilled to present Affen Segun’s Debut Solo Exhibition in the U.S. entitled “For We are Kings: Timeless Transfers of Generational Joy, Happiness, and Swag”. The exhibition opens on October 20th with a reception from 6 to 9pm and will be on view through November 25th, 2023. This exhibition is produced in collaboration with Golden Our Collective, a creative agency working to reimagine today’s creative cultural landscape by elevating black creatives and bridging the art equity gap. Elephant Room Gallery is located at 704 S Wabash Ave. in the South Loop Neighborhood of Chicago. More information on the exhibition can be found on the gallery’s website: www.elephantroomgallery.com

“For We are Kings: Timeless Transfers of Generational Joy, Happiness and Swag” seeks to highlight the positive emotions and unique cultural experiences between multiple generations of black descendants in opposition to the negative images we are often forced to reconcile. This exhibition connects past to present and takes an explorative look at what it might mean to confidently bask in black ancestral power today.

As an artist, Affen is heavily inspired by culture, motherhood, family and love. For this exhibition in particular, he has found inspiration through the people he has met and has felt compelled to tell their stories. Each piece contains a character reimagined by Affen, accompanied by thoughtfully placed objects, patterned backgrounds or abstract elements, all within a setting or occasion. Incorporating color, strong composition and Ankara patterned fabrics, Affen’s art is visual poetry, bursting forth with relentless energetic expression.

About the Artist
Affen Segun was born in 1993 in Lagos, Nigeria. A native of Bayelsa State, he discovered his love for art at a young age, and later got enrolled in a roadside art shop to start to hone his skills. Affen is a contemporary artist who is motivated by Black culture and sees Black Culture, his culture, as a source of inspiration for his art. His passion for creating portraits brought to life through the use of acrylic hues, African patterned fabrics and his ability to capture emotions on the faces of his muses has attracted a large audience for his works (over 18K Instagram followers). Affen has created paintings for several Nigerian celebrities such as, Mayorkun, Skiibii, Zlatan, Davido, Wizkid and others. Affen is an artist on the rise and has been internationally recognized and awarded for his talent. His work can be seen on artsy.com and other online galleries as well as in private collections in the UK, Nigeria, USA, Canada, Philippines, France, and more.

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