John MADU Is BLACKMUSE

African History has been littered with many attempted and successful military Coup d’etat, the first ever African Coup took place in Egypt in 1952, about 105 successful Coup has taken place after this till date. In the case of the 1966 January Coup and Counter-coup in Nigeria, the butterfly effects of this takeover led to a devastating Civil War. Alongside the concurrent Vietnamese war, the Nigerian Civil war was one of the first wars in human history to be televised to a global audience. The geographical location in this painting depicts the mysterious Zuma rock in the Northern part of Nigeria. I went on a school excursion to Zuma rock as a child, all I could think about was doing graffiti on the rock, but the tour guide was saying some scary shiii,and mentioned Monkeys that kidnap people, which I know is a Farce today, my mind went to the killer monkeys in the movie Congo. As a satirical fit I introduced The Jolly Chimp. The Jolly Chimp was made by a Japanese Toy Company in the 1950’s. The animatronic cymbal playing monkey was the first of its kind, and became popular in the United States…..to be continued Monkey Coup (reset) 2023 Mixed media on canvas

‘There is the Satisfaction of being able to look at the image without flinching. There is the pleasure of flinching’ Voyeur

Monkey Coup 2023 Mixed media in canvas Work in progress

Tell Dali we are Having Lobsters tonight 2023 Mixed media on Canvas

Virgil’s depth in Art History is something I caught on late. 🫡 #offwhite Tell Dali, we having Lobsters 2nite #workinprogress

Work in progress, just like, Life. Enjoy Capitalism 2023 Mixed media on canvas

‘This is not a Pipe 2023 Mixed media, acrylic, pastel On canvas. #johnmadu#picasso#reneemagritte #artist#art#africaisnotacountry

I’ve always been a big fan of comic strips, I believe my interest in creating art started from the comics my dad bought for me anytime he travelled overseas, I kept an envious collection and started creating my Own comics, I never thought I’d be a professional artist then. Art History has always been important in my development, here I use Roy Lichtenstein as my focal point in describing real experiences I had…..

A knowledge of art history will make you recognize the elements of this painting at a first glance, from original influences by Francisco Goya (The Third of May 1808) to Edouard Manet’s painting The Execution of Emperor Maximilian. The ideological timeline of this painting began in 2020 for a group exhibition in Stockholm, titled “Stop,listen!”inspired by the youths speaking up against police brutality in Nigeria (ENDSARS). I believe the idea of this painting evolved with time and characters added to my reoccurring subjects and thematic concerns. The sunflowers in the gun, was inspired by a poem, ‘Flowers and bullets’ written by Yevgeny Yevtushenko, dedicated to Allison Krause one of the 4 students shot by National guardsmen at Kent state college in 1970. Miss Krause put a flower in the muzzle of a Guardsman’s rifle and said “Flowers are better than bullets” Yevtushenko wrote don’t give flowers to the state , where truth is punished. The inspiration of this painting is eclectic…..to be continued #johnmadu#manet#warhol#offwhite #louboutin#art

Merry Christmas 🎄 beautiful people

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Thank you all for all the birthday wishes and love. I had an amazing time ❤️