Titus Agbara {Painting Knife Artist}
About Titus Agbara
Titus Agbara
Titus Agbara was born in Lagos. He attended the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi 1994 up until 1999 achieving his Higher National Diploma in Painting and General Art.
After graduating, he serves his native Nigeria in 2000/2001. Since then has been fulfilling his destiny as a full-time artist. He has to his credit many group shows, Artist Talks, private commissions and solo exhibition in London, Africa and abroad and has participated in art residency with Professor Ablade Glover and with Kofi Setordji under the sponsorship of Ford Foundation. Also took part in ‘’imagine art after’’ a world art project in the UK. SkyArt Portrait Artist of the Year 2014, SkyArt Landscape Artist of the Year 2015 and 2016. Also Portrait Artist of The Year 2020
Titus has particular interest in painting landscapes and sceneries. His painting technique is elaborate and distinguishable. There is honesty and sincerity expressed in his pieces. He paints with a palette knife, mostly in oil but also watercolour and pastel.
Titus view life as one great adventure, travelling is his passion, and he loves to create works to share with the world which he believes in some way will influence the society and inspire goodness in humanity.
Art is man’s quest for the truth either consciously or unconsciously done. It is inexhaustible. The quest for the never-ending truth is what I call individualistic tendency. With this, through the exploration of colour and texture, I hope to convey a strong sense of emotion with the ever-changing mood and voice of my inner mind, which constantly surprises and inspires me.
I have interest in painting landscapes and everyday happenstance; also have the creative tendency to express myself with other mediums, styles and approach. This evoke because of much saturation with my usual interest. To this rises my current experimentation on the use of waste archaic scraps of colours from the palette
Differ from the conventional painting process, my paintings are often distinct. I represent things in a truthful manner. In achieving a creative nature of my artistic process, I have a strong command of my subject and material, from the basic background, I’ll paint with a palette knife, a complete painting from the top to the bottom like a computer screen refresh. I look at my life and travel, as a large expanding mosaic where the whole is greater than the individual part.
ARTIST STATEMENT
To everything, there is a time and a season
It is not time that flies, it is not time that dies
It’s we that are flying and dying
Art Training
1994 - 1999 Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Nigeria (HND Painting / General Art)
Awards
1999 Fasuyi Price Best Graduating Student in Art and Design
1999 Rector’s Award for Best Student in Painting
2008 Winsor & Newton Under 35 Finalist, Mall Gallery London
2022 Theo Paphitis Art Prize for People's Choice Winner
Membership
2005 Quatrain Group Of Artists, Nigeria
2006 Member, Society of Nigerian Artists
2014 Member, Nigerian Art Society, UK
Employment
2012 – 2016 Security Officer
2016 – Till Date Nursing Assistant, NHS PENNINE UK
Selected Exhibitions
Group shows
2000 "Lilies in the Swamp" National Museum, Onikan Lagos
2002 "Kindred spirit" National Museum, Onikan
2005 "Talent on Palette" Terra Kulture, Victoria Island
2005 "Colours Moods and Feelings" True View, Ikoyi
2006 "Auchi Heritage" National Museum Onikan
2006 "Time and Feelings" Mydrim Gallery Ikoyi
2006 "Moment of Truth" Jennys café, La Palm Lekki
2006 “Treasures in the Jungle” National Museum, Onikan
2006 Artist Alliance gallery Accra, Ghana
2006 "Celebration of Talent” Terra Kulture Victoria Island
2007 “Out sider” Whitechapel Gallery, London
2008 “Freestyle” Harmattan Workshop Gallery, Lagos
2008 “African Art”, Bloomsbury London
2008 ‘’October Rain’’ SNA Exhibition, National Museum Lagos
2008 ROI Annual Exhibition, Mall Gallery London
2008 “Visual Poetry” DanzArt Gallery, London
2009 SNA Exhibition “October Rain” Lagos
2009 Art Fair, ARC Gallery London
2010 “Intrinsic” Class of 99. AAF Ikoyi, Lagos
2010 ROI Annual Exhibition, Mall Gallery London
2011 “Surface, Sensuality and Desire” ARC Gallery London
2011- Frameless Gallery, Farringdon London, (International Group Exhibition)
2012 Untold Gold, AACDD Barge House London
2013 Nigerian Art Society, UK
2014 “Nigeria at 100” Nigeria Art Society, UK
2015 “Ariya” Nigeria Art Society, UK
2016 “Aurora” Nigeria Art Society, UK
2016 Landscape Artist of The Year, Tuner Contemporary Margate
2017 WODOGA Opening Reception, London
2017 Oldham Open Manchester UK
2018 Legacy of Biafra, SOAS London
2019 Ruth Borchard Self Portrait Exhibition, London
2019 WODOGA Opening Reception, London
2019 Oldham Open Manchester UK
2020 Manchester Open 2020, Home Manchester
2021 Legacy of Biafra, Oldham Gallery
2022 Painters Tube Gallery Virtual exhibition #12
2022 Manchester Open 2022, Home Manchester
2022 Portrait Artist of the Year, Compton Verney Art Gallery
2022 Wales Contemporary 2022,Waterfront Gallery, Pembrokeshire
2022 Wale Contemporary 2022, at Gallery@OXO, London
2022 Oldham Open 2022, the Gallery Oldham
Solo Show Reviews
2007 ‘’Scapes from Africa, Ilford London
Reviews
"AJ Artist dream of a better society". The examiner, Sept. 15, 2000 page 29
"Auchi children meet today at National Muson" Vanguard, Oct. 24, 2002 page 30
"Quatrain explodes with colours, moods and feelings at trueview" Sunday Comet
Sept. 18 2005.
"Tales and colours from the Quatrian" Daily Sun, Sept. 28 2005 page 25.
"Young Artist hoist the Auchi colourist flag" Sunday comet Nov. 20th 2005.
"I want to own the biggest gallery in Africa says Titus Agbara" Daily sun, March 8,
2006 page 25.
"Times and Feelings…. Pastel Art gets richer" The Guardian Sept. 26, 2006 page 72.
At Mydrim, another time of pastel feeling" The Punch Sept. 29 2006 page 46.
"An enduring Dream" Thisday Oct. 8, 2006. Page 94
"Fresh faith of pastel" The Guardian life magazine Nov. 12-18, 2006 page 26.
“Telling the African Story on Canvas” Sunday Mirror, August 19, 2007 page 28
Cox Soft Art News, http://coxsoft.blogspot.com August 2007, October 2008
http://coxsoft.blogspot.com/2007/09/titus-agbara-in-ilford.html
“Aspiring Artists need to be original and self …” National Mirror, Oct. 18, 2007
“Young artists in search of identity” National Mirror. Dec. 6, 2007. Page 29
June Portfolio, Artists & Illustrators magazine, June 2009 Page 54
http://www.seecult.org/vest/imagine-art-after-brede-beban 21 Nov, 2009
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2009/nov/26/migrant-art-uk 26 Nov 2009
http://saspjournals.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/SJAHSS-33B681-691.pdf
https://www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/artist-of-the-year-portrait
http://adebanjialade.blogspot.com/2010/12/highlights-from-royal-institute-of-oil_17.html
https://ruthborchard.org.uk/titus-agbara/
https://theunfathomableartist.wordpress.com/2015/11/26/an-interview-with-titus-agbara/
TITUS AGBARA WINS HEAT FOUR OF SKY ARTS LANDSCAPE ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2016 https://www.cassart.co.uk/blog/sky-arts-titus-agbara.htm
https://f3mininja.com/2018/01/25/legacies-of-biafra/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9Jw0dzGOaw
Landscape Artist of the Year Time Lapse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2utlFhUX0yA
https://www.artfund.org/supporting-museums/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/13699/damilola
Artist Talk at Gallery Oldham 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAcnNaTRjLU
https://www.emstudiosng.com/single-post/2018/05/31/My-Unyielding-Passion---Titus-Agbara
Art Talk with Art Fund https://www.visitmanchester.com/whats-on/art-talks-with-art-fund-titus-agbara-at-gallery-oldham-p389241