• TALES OF BROTHER NEMO

    PROSPER ALUU
  • "Tales of Brother Nemo" dives into the concerns and obsessions of Prosper Aluu, offering a simultaneously concerned and lucid perspective on his era. The personification of "NEMO," an acronym for "Never Ending Mental Obsessions," opens the door to a dialogue between the artist and his inquiries.

     

    Through a three-stage journey, Prosper Aluu unveils the evolution of his states of mind, from inner turmoil to tranquility. "Tales of Brother Nemo" thus becomes both an individual and collective exploration, defining a personal quest for redemption as well as the artist's omniscient power and role as a bridge between eras. Each canvas, accompanied by a poem from Prosper Aluu, embodies a crucial step in this process of clarifying thought.

     

    VISIT ON ARTSY

  • CHAPTER ONE

    IN THE BEGINNING
  • 'How did we get here? I thought. How did I get so entangled with a lot? How have I become...
    Prosper Aluu
    In the beginning, 2023
    Technique mixte : Acrylique et collage de papiers journaux sur toile
    98.5 x 114 cm

    "How did we get here? I thought.

    How did I get so entangled with a lot?

    How have I become close to brother Nemo?

    Hello!, I call out to him like a fellow

     

    But, who was brother Nemo?

    I think you might want to know.

    Nemo was my "Never ending mental obsessions"

    My awareness of evocative expressions.

     

    At first he caused a lot of confusions

    because sometimes there were arbitrary seclusions

    between what I felt and what I saw

    A relative contrast that left me in awe

     

    With Nemo, I could tell how you feel by observing

    But at first, with him the process was unnerving

    Like a human trapped in a red box,

    My mind was confined within hollow blocks

     

    It seemed crazy like a weirdo in dreadlocks

    But it was just part of the beginning's works

    I had to wait because I believed in ticking clocks

    I tried not to worry by putting my mind in shocks."

     

    - Prosper Aluu

  • CHAPTER TWO

    THE BETTER SIDE
  • 'With time it all got better I was becoming a pacesetter at writing poems and letters in my phone book...

    Prosper Aluu
    The better side, 2023

    Mixed media : acrylic and newspaper collage on canvas
    38 3/4 x 44 7/8 in

    "With time it all got better

    I was becoming a pacesetter

    at writing poems and letters

    in my phone book and jotters

     

    The blue boxes symbolized stability

    Of human expressional predictability

    It gave me a reason to see beyond the surface

    And describe how people felt beneath the face

     

    With NEMO;

    I was able to create a diary of words and paint

    I was able to freely express without constraint

    and to talk about my society without restraint

    I was able to talk about the people's complaint

     

    The better part was that it gave me a purpose

    To paint with brushes and poems to compose

    To interact with the society and stories to expose

    Maybe someday I could make a difference, who knows"

     

    - Prosper Aluu

  • CHAPTER THREE

    REDEMPTION
  • 'In the end, Redemption was what mattered But not just from sin, but evil that scattered Even the good ones...

    Prosper Aluu
    Redemption, 2023

    Mixed media : acrylic and newspaper collage on canvas

    98.5 x 114 cm

    "In the end, Redemption was what mattered

    But not just from sin, but evil that scattered

    Even the good ones where shattered

    And those that were left were martyred

     

    The flower was a symbol of Love and hope

    That was what NEMO always told me

    Emotionally plain like the robe of a pope

    But at least to a certain degree

     

    With these stories I could document the present

    So we could reflect on the past's unpleasants

    We could look back and save us from ourselves

    And take time to clear the dust off our shelves

     

    NEMO wanted me to find Redemption

    Not for myself but for my country

    I agreed and between us there was accession

    And it felt like I was part of an infantry.

     

    I created a crucifix with my hair and a yellow box

    And placed him at the center without nail locks

    I didn't crucify him, I think I just made mocks

    of an actual crucifix, to see if Redemption works."

     

    - Prosper Aluu

  • PROSPER ALUU, NIGERIA

    PROSPER ALUU

    NIGERIA

    Born in Nigeria in 1999, Prosper Aluu studied architecture at the Owerri Federal University of Technology before choosing to become a visual artist.

    The artist incorporates Nigerian newspaper cuttings into his work to tell stories of the past while preserving the current narrative. His artistic style, which he calls "Abfillage" - a crossword made up of the words "abstract", "figure" and "collage" - consists in painting figures on partially coloured newspaper or magazine collages. By applying colour over the texts, he aims to soften some of the darker stories and events they contain. This technique allows him to preserve the written stories and highlight their effects in a figurative way.

    His figurative style is also characterised by the elongation and exaggeration of his characters' proportions, as well as by his distinctive depiction of Afro hairstyles. The golden crowns he paints on his figures' heads are intended to give them a particular nobility and dignity. Through his art, Prosper Aluu celebrates and explores his African identity.