ABOUT THE ARTIST

Ekow Nimako studied Fine Arts at York University and began using Lego in his professional practice in 2014. He has since cultivated a unique approach to sculpting the iconic material in masterful true-to-life and monumental form. 2015’s Silent Knight commissioned for the 10th Anniversary of Nuit Blanche featured a seven-and-a-half foot statue of one of Ontario’s most extirpated bird species the barn owl, while 2016’s Grey Matters, commissioned by the Baycrest Foundation featured a monochromatic, larger-than-life human brain as a public statement on the importance of brain health. In 2018 Nimako teamed up with visionary filmmaker and artist Director X to challenge the narrative of civic statues with the dynamic monument Cavalier Noir. Taking the form of a Black warrior child astride a dauntless Black unicorn the sculpture gained national interest as one of the most memorable and impactful installations of Nuit Blanche 2018.  Drawing on his fascination with Afrofuturism, mythology and the metaphor of West African proverbs, Ekow's current sculptural exploration Building Black Mythos constructs a powerful and haunting realm centred on 'supernatural melanin-rich children' and their sentient animal counterparts. Ekow lives and works in Toronto, Canada.

PUBLIC ARTWORKS

2018 - Cavalier Noir, Nuit Blanche, Scarborough Civic Centre/Toronto City Hall

2016 – Grey Matters, The Brain Project/Baycrest Foundation, Union Station |

Yorkdale Shopping Centre

2015 – Silent Knight, Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art

EXHIBITIONS

2017 - (Group Exhibition) CreativeTO, Artscape Young Place

2016 - (Group Exhibition) Intergalactic Noise, Art Gallery of Mississauga

2015 - (Solo Exhibition) Building Black, Capacity 3 Gallery

2015 - (Group Exhibition) Black Future Month, Ontario College of Art and Design

2014 - (Solo Exhibition) Building Black, B.A.N.D Gallery and Cultural Centre

2014 - (Solo Exhibition) Building Black, Impresario Gallery

2014 - (Solo Exhibition) Building Black, Daniels Spectrum

EDUCATION

2007 - 2010 - BFA: Studio, York University

RESIDENCIES/WORKSHOPS

2016 – The Art Gallery of Mississauga - Roots and Branches

2015 - The Power Plant Gallery - Power Youth Residency/Winter

2015 - The Power Plant Gallery - Power Youth Residency/Fall

COMMISSIONS

2018 - Cavalier Noir, City of Toronto, Nuit Blanche 

2018 - Copa, Nemeziz, X, Predator, Tango League, adidas Canada

2016 – Grey Matters, The Brain Project - Baycrest Foundation

2016 – the Bergeron Centre of Engineering Excellence, Lassonde School of

Engineering

2015 - Silent Knight, City of Toronto, Scotiabank Nuit Blanche
2014 - Lady Nzinga, Canadian Film Centre, Bold, Black Risk-taker 2014