AfriPulse
Charcoal artist, Kenneth Uzoigwe, a Nigerian-born creative based in Manchester, United Kingdom, has unveiled a new work, Faceless Presence, a monochrome charcoal drawing centered on identity, silence, and emotional endurance.
The artwork depicts a winged figure holding a flower, with the face softly obscured through intentional charcoal diffusion. By removing clear facial features, Uzoigwe shifts interpretation away from expression, asking the viewer to read meaning through posture, symbol, and shadow.
Produced entirely in charcoal on paper, the piece uses smudging, layering, and erasure as active storytelling tools. The blurred face becomes a metaphor for identity in transition, memory under pressure, and the emotional weight of invisibility.
Uzoigwe explains: “The face is blurred because identity is not always visible. The wings express the desire to rise above emotional weight. The flower is the softness that survives, even when a person feels unseen.”
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Chinasa Okoro notes:
Uzoigwe draws with restraint and intention. The strength of Faceless Presence is not in spectacle, but in emotional precision. His control of charcoal lets him erase and define identity simultaneously. The work carries cultural depth without requiring explanation. Uzoigwe is emerging as a compelling voice in contemporary African emotional realism.
Artistic Merit, Cultural Context
• Created entirely in charcoal on paper
• Uses erasure as narrative technique, not correction
• Explores visibility, identity, emotional silence, and self-recognition
• Merges realism with symbolic minimalism
• Expands the evolving dialogue around African interior worlds and self-representation
Uzoigwe is a Nigerian visual artist working in charcoal portraiture, currently based in Manchester, United Kingdom. His drawings explore identity beyond facial expression, using shadow, form, and absence to examine emotional resilience and quiet moments of human endurance. His work centres on individuals who carry untold stories and unspoken strength.
Source: Guardian Nigeria | Read the Full Story…
