Kelani Abass: Keeper of Memory Through Print, Paint, and Machines

Early Life and Background

Kelani Abass was born in 1979 in Lagos, Nigeria, and grew up surrounded by the world of printing. His family owned a printing press, which became the foundation of his fascination with letters, typewriters, and machines as artistic tools.

He studied Painting at Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos, where he graduated with distinction. He has since become one of the most recognized contemporary Nigerian artists, blending painting, printmaking, and installation art.

Artistic Career

Early Work

Abass began with realist painting, creating detailed portraits and scenes of everyday Nigerian life. Over time, he shifted toward mixed media, incorporating printing machines, family photographs, and archival materials.

Signature Style

• Integrates painting, photography, printmaking, and mechanical objects.
• Explores the relationship between personal memory, family archives, and Nigerian history.
• Uses printing machines (letterpress, typewriters, stamps) as both tools and metaphors.

Themes

• Memory and identity: preserving family and community histories through art.
• Colonial and postcolonial Nigeria: exploring how technology (typewriters, printing presses) shaped Nigerian modernity.
• Time and continuity: layering old photographs, letters, and archival traces into new artworks.
• Personal meets universal: using his family archive to speak about Nigeria’s broader social history.

Notable Projects and Exhibitions

• Asiko (2010s): A series exploring Lagos life through portraiture and archives.
• Casing History (2017): An exhibition at CCA Lagos using family archives and printing materials to reconstruct memory.
• Stamps, Stitches, and Storytelling (2018): Works combining textiles, print, and archive-based art.
• Exhibited widely in Nigeria, Europe, and the U.S., with shows at the Centre for Contemporary Art (Lagos) and international biennales.

Recognition and Awards

• Winner of several national painting and art prizes in Nigeria.
• Recognized as a leading voice of archival and memory-based Nigerian art.
• His works are collected by private and institutional collectors worldwide.

Legacy and Influence

• Abass is redefining Nigerian painting by merging traditional skills with archives and technology.
• His art preserves personal and national memory at a time when Nigeria’s historical narratives risk being lost.
• He stands as part of a new generation of Nigerian artists (alongside Ndidi Dike, Peju Alatise, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby) who use art as social history and cultural preservation.

Conclusion

Kelani Abass is not just a painter — he is a custodian of memory, transforming printing presses, archives, and photographs into powerful works of art. By blending family history with Nigeria’s collective story, he ensures that personal and national identities remain alive in contemporary imagination. His work reminds us that art is not only about beauty but also about remembering, recording, and reimagining history.