Richard Ayodeji Ikhide

CANDICE MADEY is thrilled to announce Ties That Bind with Time, the gallery’s second solo exhibition by London-based artist Richard Ayodeji Ikhide, in its 1 Freeman Alley location. The exhibition presents a new series of large-scale watercolor, gouache, and collaged paintings on paper that follow the journeys of Emiomo, a central figure introduced in Ikhide’s first exhibition with the gallery in 2021.

Ikhide is particularly interested in visual art forms that employ storytelling, culling inspiration from wide-ranging cultural influences such as comic books, Japanese manga, video games, and importantly, myths and legends of the Edo region of Nigeria. The recurring protagonist of Ikhide’s works is Emiomo, notably described by the artist as the messenger, or emissary. Previously, Emiomo was presented as a more solitary figure; however, in Ties That Bind with Time, he appears in a communal setting, among objects, artifacts, and family. The new paintings also prominently feature animals, which serve as symbols, emblems, or totems. In each composition, a dynamic scenario unfolds that suggests interaction, communication, and the ways in which ancestral knowledge and cultural experiences are transferred from one generation to another.

Ikhide studied textile design and drawing, mediums that have influenced his ambitious approach to watercolors. Works on thick paper begin with sketched compositions in pencil, delineated by drawn frames, and are progressively built up over time through layers of watercolor—achieving bold, saturated colors and surfaces thick with paint that defy the typically delicate nature of the medium. However, a fluidity is maintained—a quality that animates and gives life to Ikhide’s narratives.

In Ties That Bind with Time, Ikhide explores more personal and biographical themes, documenting a period of his own life when he is interrogating fatherhood and the balance of masculine and feminine energies in the home. His rich and otherworldly environments compellingly reimagine cultural and familial history—one that is examined, intentional, and centered on collectivity.

Richard Ayodeji Ikhide was born in Lagos, Nigeria in 1991 and currently lives and works in London. He is a graduate of the Royal Drawing School. Solo exhibitions include Victoria Miro, London (2022, online); Candice Madey, New York (2021); Galerie Bernhard, Zurich (2021); Steve Turner, Los Angeles (2021); Future Past, V.O Curations, London (2021); and Osmosis, Zabludowicz Collection, London (2019). In addition, Ikhide’s work has been included in several group exhibitions including Image Impressions, FF Projects, Lagos (2023); Prospect and Refuge, Sim Smith, London (2022); Assemble, V.O Curations, London (2021); No horizon, no edge to liquid, Zabludowicz Collection, London (2020); For the Many, Not the Few, Guts Gallery, (2021, online); Bloomberg New Contemporaries, South London Gallery, London (2018); and Best Drawing of the Year 2018, Christie’s, London (2017). His work has been acquired by the Royal Collection Trust.

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