Kelechi Charles Nwaneri is a self-taught Artist, born in Lagos State, Nigeria. He focused on the sciences during his early schooling years and went on to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural extension from the University of Nigeria in 2015. Inspired by Pencil Artists such as Kelvin Okafor, Arinze Stanley and Ken Nwadiogbu, he initially focused on Pencil Realism and has evolved to introducing other mediums such as Acrylic paints, collages, Watercolours and oil paints.

Nwaneri’s works stand somewhere between genres of Photorealism, Surrealism, Post-modernism and Contemporary art but perfectly fits into what he calls Contemporary Surrealism. His work deals with issues of our present time, his use of multimedia and the conceptual feel in his works.

A major characteristic of his work is the use of West-African Iconography, mystical, metaphysical, allegorical concepts and the Black Hybrid Figure (inspired by the idea of Scars and African Tribal Marks). Nwaneri’s work has been shown in exhibitions within and outside his country of residence and he won the annual Visual Art competition (2018) organised by the Spanish embassy in Abuja, Nigeria. He currently lives and works in Lagos state, Nigeria.

SOLO EXHIBITION

2026
'Kelechi Nwaneri: Echoes of Power', Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy

2024
'Soliloquy', EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa

2023
'Figures', AKKA Project, Venice, Italy
'Red', Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin, Germany

2022
'Finding Balance', Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK

2021
'Myths', Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin, Germany
'Through My Eyes', AKAA, Venice, Italy

2020
‘Modern Marks’, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa

GROUP EXHIBITION

2026
'A Very Loop Street Winter', EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa
'Patterns of Power', Serge Tiroche Contemporary, Tel Aviv, Israel
Arte Fiera, Primo Marella Gallery, Bologna, Italy

2025
'Mascherada', AKKA Project, Milano, Italy
'Real Myths - Beit Kandinof', Serge Tiroche Contemporary, Tel-Aviv, Israel
'Fashion passion', Serge Tiroche Contemporary (Online edition)
'Resisting the Smooth', AKKA Project, Venice, Italy
'The Gaze: Exploring the Female Gaze', AKKA Project, Venice, Italy

2024
'Exquisite and Inquisitive - Contemporary Masterworks from the ST-ART Collection, by Serge Tiroche', Serge Tiroche Contemporary (Online edition)
WEST PALM BEACH | SALON, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, West Palm Beach, United States of America
The Black Ghost - Chapter 2, Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy
Investec Cape Town Art Fair, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa

2023
‘Africa Supernova’, Museum Kade, Amersfoort, Netherlands
'Where the Wild Roses Grow', Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Schloss Görne, Germany
'Les Enchantées', Curated by Nicola E. Petek & Stephan Klee, HAUNT Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Art Genève, Primo Marella Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland

2022
'The Black Ghost', Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy
AKAA, AKKA Project, Paris, France
Untitled Miami, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Miami, United States of America
Enter Art Fair, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
Art Dubai, AKKA Project, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2021
1-54 New York, New York, United States of America
Untitled Miami 2021, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery
'Facing The Sun', Schloss Goerne, Germany
Art X Lagos, SMO Contemporary Art
‘In [the] Loop’, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa
‘Stop, Listen!’, CFHILL, Stockholm, Sweden

2020
Intersect Chicago online edition of SOFA Expo, Chicago, United States of America
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London, UK, Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, New York, United States of America, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa
‘ALL THE DAYS AND NIGHT’, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, United Kingdom
‘Doors, eyes and tribal marks’, AKKA Project, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2019
'STASIS’, SMO Contemporary Art Gallery, Temple Musée, Victoria Island Lagos, Nigeria.
‘SECRET GARDEN’, ODA gallery, Franschhoek, Western Cape, South Africa

2018
‘Ode to mankind’, Artyrama Gallery, CFAO building, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
‘Spanish Festivals and traditional celebrations’, Thoughts Pyramids Gallery, Maitama, Abuja, Nigeria

2016
‘Exploring the Goldmine Inherent in Nigerian Creative Industries’, National Festival for Art and Culture (NAFEST), Ibom Hall, Uyo, Nigeria

COLLECTIONS

Schulting Collection, Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Birmingham Museum of Art, United States of America
The Bunker Artspace Museum, United States of America
Susan Goodman Collection, United States of America
Arthur Lewis Collection, United States of America
Africa First Collection, Tel Aviv, Israel Easton Capital Collection, United States of America
Embassy of Spain Abuja, Nigeria
CC Pounder Collection, Senegal
Dee Kerrison Collection, United States of America

PUBLICATIONS

2023
Africa Supernova. 2023. Kunsthal Kade, Amersfoort. ISBN 978 9 490153 38 0

TELEVISION/MEDIA APPEARANCES

2019
Ted Lasso, season 2, ep.11