Bridging canvas and virtual space.
I'm Akan David, a multidisciplinary Nigerian artist and tutor. I invite viewers to move beyond their ordinary reality by exploring traditional painting, mixed media, and immersive virtual reality.
Biography
Akan David is an enigmatic artist, and tutor currently residing in Nigeria. An Exponent of Lucidism art movement, a member of the Bohemian Boston Cambridge art. His works of art thrives on themes of African culture, spirituality, sensuality, myths, folklores and psychology.
Although having multi-techniques in art he predominantly explores traditional painting using mix media, surrealism, sgraffito, chromolumism usually with heavy surface decorations.
Akan Davids art moves effortlessly between the material and Imaginative realm, inviting the viewers to move beyond their ordinary reality. He is a multi-disciplinary artist with myriad creativity who is constantly experimenting and exploring new vistas in the arts.
Art is constantly evolving
Art is a process and product of creativity, and its forms are numerous.
Over time many folks have ventured before me in its path, that is why I study and observe the works of the old to understand their vision and thoughts. Leonardo da Vinci said that “Art is never finished, only abandoned” and this I agree.
With this at heart I often like to experiment with different techniques, materials and methods, always exploring and searching for new vistas. Art is Dynamic and is constantly changing over time and often leads to unexpected results: the best way to practice art is to evolve with it.
Bridging organic canvas surface texture with digital space.
Layering mixed media, sgraffito, and traditional pigments.
Education & Artistic Development
Formal Training
Degree in Fine & Applied Arts with specialization in Painting and Art History, exploring the historical foundation of African aesthetics and Lucidism.
Mentorship Programs
Intensive studio mentorships with pioneer African contemporary painters, studying heavy surface decorations, traditional paint mixtures, and sgraffito layers.
Workshops & Incubators
Exhibition design and material workshops in Accra, Lagos, and Berlin focused on bridging organic materials with virtual gallery spaces.
Artistic Research
Ongoing independent research projects studying ancestral myths, psychological archetypes, and Lucidism movement principles.
Selected Exhibitions
Akan David
Featured Work, Exhibition Catalog. Mixed Media on Canvas.
Digital Echoes & Sacred Spaces
Berlin Art Hub • Berlin, Germany
Contemporary African Art Voices
Didi Museum • Lagos, Nigeria
Lucid Dreams & Mythologies
Alliance Française • Accra, Ghana
Bohemian Cambridge Cambridge Art
Cambridge Art Center • Boston, USA
RESIDENCIES &
PROGRAMS
Over the years, my practice has been enriched by international residency programs where I explore the translation of traditional paint surfaces into immersive digital spaces.
AWARDS, GRANTS &
RECOGNITION
Recognized for innovative artistic contributions and research, my practice has received support from regional visual arts councils and academic boards.
Press & Publications
THE CRITIC CITATION
“Akan David's practice redefines traditional canvas boundaries, weaving deep psychological themes with sgraffito and heavy surface texturing.”
REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
“A pioneering figure in the Lucidism art movement, David moves effortlessly between material sculpture canvases and virtual museum realities.”
Lucidism and the Physical-Digital Art Divide
Global Contemporary Art Review • 2024“Through folklore symbolisms, his paintings invite the viewer into highly textured, dreamlike spaces of reflection.”
Ancestral Memory and the Experimental Canvas
Lagos Art Review • 2023Curriculum Vitae
For a comprehensive summary of Akan David's artistic development, exhibitions, press records, and complete educational catalog, please download the files below.