Kelvin Okafor

Kelvin Okafor (born 1 November 1985)[1] is a British hyperrealist artist who specialises in pencil portraits.

Early life and education

Okafor is of Nigerian descent.[1] He grew up in Tottenham, London.[2] He was educated at St Ignatius' College in Enfield, where at the age of 15 he began to hone his talent for drawing.[3]

Okafor undertook a Foundation Art & Design course at City and Guilds Art School (2005–06), and went on to study at Middlesex University (2006–09), graduating with a BA degree in Fine Art.[4] Awards he has won include the Catherine Petitgas Visitors Choice Prize, part of the National Open Art Competition.[5]

Career

Okafor works with sculpture, glass, printmaking, painting and casting.[6] He specialises in hyper-realistic portrait drawings of ordinary people and celebrities. His work is often mistaken for photographs due to their detail and likeness to reality.[7] Early pieces includes portraits of Amy Winehouse, Mother Teresa, Lauryn Hill, Jamal, Nelson Mandela, Beyoncé, Daniel Craig, Corinne Bailey Rae, Rihanna and Tinie Tempah.[8] In 2017, Okafor became the first black artist to be permanently exhibited in the House of Commons with his pencil portrait of Bernie Grant.[9]

The style in which Okafor creates his portraits is known as Hyperrealism. Art Critic, Estelle Lovatt describes his work as 'Emotional Realism'. She mentions how the work of Okafor goes beyond being just 'Photorealist' drawings, and instead coins the term Emotional Realism to describe the affective nature of his artwork.

Recent work

More recently Okafor's celebrity work has included a portrait of the late musician John Lennon, which was an integral part of his 2019 Exhibition Retrospective[10] where he unveiled the portrait to the general public. This exhibition which showcased some of Okafor's work during a 10-year period.[11] Furthermore, in early 2020, Okafor unveiled his portrait of model Winnie Harlow in support of her charity for vitiligo.

Okafor also continues to develop his personal portfolio, such as the continuing portraits of his model, Mia, whom he has been drawing every two years since she was three.

Prince unveiling

Okafor released a portrait of the late musician Prince. The original reference photo he used for this piece was transformed by his choice to open Prince's eyes in the portrait, something he has never done before.[12]

Solo exhibitions

  • Portraits, May 2014, 49 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4JR
  • Interludes, September to October 2016 - 49 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4JR
  • Retrospective, September 2019, Mall Galleries, London[13]

Group exhibitions

  • Exhibition of final year student art: Cat Hill Campus, 22–24 May 2009 & Old Truman Brewery, 5–8 June 2009
  • Middlesex University Fine Art Degree Show, 2009
  • E17 Art Trail, 1–16 September 2012, Pictorem Gallery, 383 Hoe Street
  • The Threadneedle Prize, 26 September – 13 October 2012, Mall Galleries, The Mall, SW1
  • Royal Society of British Artists (RBA), 6–23 March 2013- Mall Galleries, The Mall, SW1
  • Cork Street Open Summer Exhibition, 9–16 August 2013, Cork Street Gallery, 28 Cork Street, London, W1S 3NG
  • The Discerning Eye, 14–24 November 2013, Mall Galleries, The Mall, SW1
  • Contemporary Realism, September 2014, 49 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4JR
  • The Discerning Eye, November 2014, Mall Galleries, The Mall, SW1
  • The Pastel Society, March 2015, Mall Galleries, The Mall, SW1
  • Behind Sacred Doors Exhibition, July–Oct 2015, Bruce Castle Museum, London
  • Grand Summer Exhibition, August–September 2015, 49 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4JR; Mall Galleries, The Mall, SW1
  • The Columbia Threadneedle Prize, February 2016
  • The Columbia Threadneedle Prize, July 2016, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence
  • Group Show | Winter Exhibition Part I, December 2016, Albemarle Gallery, London
  • December Exhibition, December 2016, Pictorem Gallery, London
  • Group Show | Winter Exhibition Part II, January 2017, Albemarle Gallery, London
  • Group Show | Ears for the Eyes Exhibition, February–March 2017, Transition Gallery, London
  • Group Show | BLACK Exhibition, December 2018, The Crypt Gallery (St Pancras), London
  • Royal Society of British Artists (RBA), 4–14 July 2019, Mall Galleries, The Mall, SW1
  • Black History Month Exhibition, October 2019, 10 Downing Street, Westminster, London

Awards
  • Visitors’ Choice Award, National Open Art Competition, 11 October 2012 – 3 February 2013, Watercolour + Works on Paper selected works at The Science Museum in London; 31 January – 3 February 2013, Chichester at Pallant House (Winners only); 8–18 November 2012, The Prince's Foundation Gallery in Hoxton, London; 24 October – 1 November 2012, Chichester at The Minerva Theatre 11-21 October 2012
  • Runner Up Best Of Show Prize, Cork Street Open Winter Exhibition 2013, Cork Street Gallery, 28 Cork Street, London, W1S 3NG
  • The de Laszlo Foundation Award, Royal Society of Portrait Painters (RP), 9–24 May 2013, Mall Galleries, The Mall, SW1

References
  1. "How I became a photo-realistic artist – Kelvin Okafor", Vanguard (Nigeria), 27 December 2012.
  2. Jonathan Jones "Kelvin Okafor's drawings may look like photographs but are they art?", The Guardian, 31 January 2013.
  3. Cindy Wider, "Interview With Kelvin Okafor: A Rising Star In The Art World", DrawPJ.com, 7 August 2013.
  4. "Kelvin Okafor", Albemarle Gallery.
  5. Dionne Grant, "Stroke Of Genius: Award-Winning Pencil Artist Kelvin Okafor", The Voice, 26 May 2014.
  6. "Artist Spotlight: Kelvin Okafor - Ayiba Magazine". 19 November 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  7. "Pencil drawings amaze art critics" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  8. Kelvin Okafor, Middlesex University.
  9. "An evening of firsts: Bernie Grant MP and artist Kelvin Okafor | Middlesex University London". www.mdx.ac.uk.
  10. "Kelvin Okafor: Retrospective".
  11. "Striking artistry of alumni Kelvin Okafor".
  12. "Prince drawn with his eyes wide open".
  13. "Artist's drawing celebrates 50 years of iconic album". Enfield Independent.
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