1788 | Stanley Onah I Original Oil Painting

£3,150.00

Original Oil and oil Pastel On Linen Lined Board, Tray Framed

Size: 100cm x 100cm x 4.8cm

Part of the “From Ancient Braids, To Contemporary Fades” Collection 2025

In 1788, Stanley Onah carries us back to the beginning of the braid’s transatlantic journey, a time when hair was both a map and a memory. Against the faint outline of the Atlantic Ocean, a figure wears intricately woven braids that speak to origin, belonging, and survival. Each plait is a thread of lineage, a coded echo of home carried across unimaginable distance.

The braids here are not simply adornment; they are acts of resistance and remembrance. In an era of forced displacement, they became vessels of culture, marking regions of ancestry, holding seeds of identity, and preserving stories when words and freedoms were stripped away.

Within From Ancient Braids to Contemporary Fades, 1788 serves as the series’ point of genesis: a visual remembrance of how tradition endures even through trauma. Onah’s composition binds geography and memory together, reminding us that from the crossing came continuity, that survival, too, can be an art form.

Original Oil and oil Pastel On Linen Lined Board, Tray Framed

Size: 100cm x 100cm x 4.8cm

Part of the “From Ancient Braids, To Contemporary Fades” Collection 2025

In 1788, Stanley Onah carries us back to the beginning of the braid’s transatlantic journey, a time when hair was both a map and a memory. Against the faint outline of the Atlantic Ocean, a figure wears intricately woven braids that speak to origin, belonging, and survival. Each plait is a thread of lineage, a coded echo of home carried across unimaginable distance.

The braids here are not simply adornment; they are acts of resistance and remembrance. In an era of forced displacement, they became vessels of culture, marking regions of ancestry, holding seeds of identity, and preserving stories when words and freedoms were stripped away.

Within From Ancient Braids to Contemporary Fades, 1788 serves as the series’ point of genesis: a visual remembrance of how tradition endures even through trauma. Onah’s composition binds geography and memory together, reminding us that from the crossing came continuity, that survival, too, can be an art form.

  • Native Londoner, Onah’s practice is influenced by his blended British/Nigerian heritage – exuding a strength and grit that speaks to London’s underground art scene. His use of colour and understanding of light oozes connections to the rich tapestry and texture of traditional Nigerian art. His portraits, often starkly back-lit or drenched in a ‘golden hour’ haze allow him to capture a pure emotive dialogue with the viewer.

    Onah’s early fascination with comic book artistry is prevalent in his works with a clear nod to artists such as Frank Miller & Dave Gibbons; this marriage of polar aesthetics have allowed Onah to shape an unmistakable visual identity evident in each painting.

    Onah’s latest series delves deep into the human psyche, reflecting the intricate emotional landscape experienced in the aftermath of trauma. Drawing from both personal and observed encounters, the artist invites viewers on a journey of contemplation, welcoming them in, to explore life’s profound questions and discover beauty within the depths of the human spirit.

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