Artist File
Artist File: Emmanuel Osahor Paints Immersive Garden Sanctuaries
Updated on January 10, 2024
In our Artist File column, art advisor Diana Hamm of WK ART shares the artists that have caught her eye.
The Artist: Painting immersive outdoor scenes, Emmanuel Osahor creates sanctuaries for his viewers. He’s interested in illustrating the natural contrasts inherent in gardens while offering beautiful tableaus to engage in. Looking at gardens as places of refuge from daily life, he provides a break for himself, as much as for others, from the constant cycle of anxiety-inducing news, including recent events such as the death of George Floyd, the spike in anti-Asian hate and the ban on discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools across Florida, all highlighting the continued oppression of marginalized communities. His work serves as an antidote to this — it’s a glimmer of hope, a moment of beauty. Emmanuel believes that beauty is necessary to surviving, and that surviving is the precursor to thriving.
Offering 1 (2022).
The Works: Emmanuel is Nigerian-born and now based in Canada; he began looking at gardens when he moved here as a means of processing everything that was so new and different. His work begins by photographing real gardens, then he collages together his own constructed place and paints it as an oasis of calm. Some of his photographs are simply snapshots taken while on walks, without the garden owner knowing, and some come from invitations into gardens so that he can capture them in different lights and seasons.
Emmanuel’s work has a captivating tension. Firstly, the gardens themselves are a dichotomy of public and private space, and often have the look of constructed chaos. Secondly, the work itself holds tension: on one hand, painting something beautiful could seem frivolous. But on the other hand, the artist believes in the power of creating space for beauty.
These days (2023).
These days is a large oil on canvas (90″ x 113″) that was recently exhibited at Toronto’s Museum of Contemporary Art. It’s exemplary of Emmanuel’s work in that it’s beautiful, calm and, most importantly, invites the viewer in. One of the things I’ve found interesting is that, while the basis of the paintings is private gardens, there are no traces of fences or defined boundaries. He explains it this way: “These places of potential sanctuary are limitless. I’m interested in an imaginative space where borders slip away. The work also uses strategies of abstraction to invite the viewer to participate in the continuation of the image.” As such, the pictured spaces are metaphorically and physically bigger than what can be confined.
What we tend (2023).
In most of his work, Emmanuel doesn’t include figures. This way, the garden doesn’t belong to anyone; it’s as though the viewer can insert themselves into the scene, which is incredibly important for those from marginalized communities who may not have access to these types of spaces. So instead of painting figures, Emmanuel has started painting chairs. “The chairs have become a way to allude to the past, present and future existence of the human in the work,” he says. “They also function as an invitation to the viewer to ‘stay a while’ in the space the work creates.” What we tend is a good example of this. The two chairs that remain empty beckon viewers to take a seat.
Since there are no other worlds (2022).
Often, the real gardens he photographs are private and, therefore, not accessible to most people. Emmanuel strives to create a version of these spaces for everyone. Since there are no other worlds, he’s constructed the garden to look expansive and wild by changing the grass on the left into a pond. The landscape remains beautiful, calm, private — and ownerless. Everyone can share in this natural beauty, in spite of the deeper, challenging issues that continually affect our society. I think that being able to offer a symbol of rest and hope is important, and that the act of doing this is, in itself, a beautiful thing.
Artist Emmanuel Osahor.
Collecting: Emmanuel completed his MFA at the University of Guelph and his BFA at the University of Alberta. He’s done residencies at the Banff Centre and currently has a self-directed residency at Bath Artist Printmakers in the U.K. He was an honorable mention for the RBC Canadian Painting Competition in 2018, and has won the 2018 and 2022 Canada Council for the Arts Concept to Realization Grant, amongst other awards. His paintings have been acquired by institutions including the Art Gallery of Alberta, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Art Gallery of Guelph and the Society of Northern Alberta Print Artists. His work starts at $2,500.
Where to See It: Emmanuel has exhibited across Canada. He has an upcoming show at the Art Gallery of Alberta in January 2024 and another with Galerie Nicolas Robert in October 2024. Most recently, he had a solo exhibition at the Latcham Art Centre in Stouffville, Ont., and an exhibition at Toronto’s MOCA.
Diana Hamm of WK ART is a Toronto art adviser. A graduate of Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London, U.K., Diana focuses on contemporary art and discovering emerging artists. She also advises private clients on acquisitions and collection-building. Find out more at wkart.ca.
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