JOHN
ONWUCHEKWA
Contemporary painter
John Onwuchekwa is a Nigerian-born, self-taught contemporary painter based in Los Angeles. He approaches painting as an act of discovery: gestures, forms and faces emerge through the physical encounter between hand, material and canvas, with meaning often becoming apparent only after the painting has surfaced.
Fragmented faces, spectral figures and layered imagery explore memory, identity and the tension between presence and disappearance. Working across mixed media, he allows instinct and the resistance of his materials to guide images that remain open to interpretation.
A distinctive element of his practice is the use of both sides of a canvas. The painted front and exposed reverse become connected spaces of expression, exploring the relationship between the visible self and what remains concealed.
Painting as excavation.
John’s materials include charcoal, coffee, oil pastel, oil sticks and acrylic. Staining, gesture and the physical pressure of making remain part of the image. On dual-sided works, unprimed fabric, stretcher bars and traces of labour become active parts of the composition.
The work invites attention to both surface and structure: what an image reveals, what it withholds and what remains unresolved.
Three works.
Two sides.
The front and reverse of each canvas form a single work. Explore both surfaces, followed by close-up views of material and gesture.
ENWEGHI NCHEKWUBE or FIDES
2025 · Charcoal and mixed media on canvas
ON TODAY’S EPISODE OF DAMNED AND THE REDEEMED
2024–2025 · Palm oil and mixed media on canvas
STEAMED PON THE STREAM OF CONSENSIA
2025 · Chalk and mixed media on canvas
Surface details
Close-up views from the portfolio, showing marks, staining and layered surfaces.
