Ehoodi Kichapi Exhibition
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One Off is pleased to present 'Contemplations' by Ehoodi Kichapi Private View:
Saturday, 30 June - Noon to 5pm Exhibition run: 30 June - 24 July 2018 |
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About the exhibitionExcerpt from -
Streaming the Subconscious: The art of Ehoodi Kichapi. 
Ehoodi Kichapi
How does the enculturated, tutored adult mind create art with the honesty of the tabula-rasa child when any attempt to do so is clearly to dissemble? Perhaps on this single stumbling-block, Naive Art frequently fails.
Ehoodi Kichapi is not a child. Nor does he have the mind of a child. He is an intelligent 36 year old with a great sense of humour, an inquiring mind and a propensity for polemic. But, above all others, there is one characteristic he holds in unusual abundance: he is astonishingly uninhibited, particularly about himself. You will find him declaring at the top of his voice, in public, personal details the rest of us would ardently seek to conceal, even from ourselves. His mind and daylight are in continuity. He's an artist; more specifically, he's a Naive artist. First reactions to the art of Ehoodi Kichapi are as an encounter with the possessed. Laying down your crucifix and garlic you'll soon see that, for all the graveyard imagery, it's more like a child's sketch pad of his favourite scary tales than The Handbook of Head-shrinking. His pictures are awash with motifs, icons and symbols that are his messengers. But for many, the power of his art emerges in other ways to which he seems oblivious. In a single childlike doodle, he has the ability to caricature human idiosyncrasy, often projected anthropomorphically through the image of an animal whilst capturing too the essence of that animal. And it seems that this process is automatic: he is not aware that he's doing it; he is not present between his subconscious mind and the canvas; whatever is in there comes straight out of the brush; like the child, he can't stop it coming through. As with the best of children's tales, he deals with some very grown-up issues, but if you hang-out with an Ehoodi Kichapi for any length of time you will experience something even more rewarding: embedded in his art is a warm, satirical wit. A reservoir of spontaneous expression? A projectile emanation of the subconscious mind? He does seem to be the real thing. So, can he do it? Yes, he really can. Dominic Martin
One Off |
Preview of WorksClick thumbnail to enlarge and scroll through all images
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Exhibition openings are usually on the last Saturday of every month, excluding December. The gallery remains open on Sundays allowing anyone who missed the opening to catch the exhibition the next day. Do join our mailing list so we can send you an invitation.