2000s Giant Heads |
At the beginning of the new millenium, Shoa was able to reflect on over ten years of training and artistic output, giving rise to a clear mission in his work. He had assembled a highly distinguished group of portraits reflecting the youth culture and multiculturalism of his early years. Continuing this project into the new decade, and following postgrduate study at the Royal Drawing School (2003-04) Shoa began to paint on an even larger scale working on a series of ‘Giant Heads’ alongside full length figures, setting his sights on introducing these works to a broader public. Many of these works would feature in his debut museum solo show Youth Culture/Multi-Culture, an exhibition featuring 40 of the artist’s portraits that opened in 2004 at The Box, Plymouth (formerly Plymouth City Art Gallery). This would set the artist on a course over the next twenty years for further institutional exhibitions and ‘interventions’ in which his archive of paintings depicting people of colour would be interspersed in historical museum collections, revealing the systemic biases and lack of diversity of public collections
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Giant head of Gbenga Ilumoka, 2000
Oil on canvas 116 x 99 cm Collection Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry |
Desiree sitting on the bed, 2002
Oil on canvas 116.8 x 91.9 cm |
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Giant head of Gbenga Ilumoka, 2001
Oil on canvas 185 x 152 cm Collection Hartlepool Art Gallery |
Giant head of Desiree, 2002
Oil on canvas 122 x 99 cm Collection Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle |
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Bonjour Mr Fergus, 2001
Oil on canvas 106 x 55 cm |
Helen and Kiki, 2002
Oil on canvas 126 x 106 cm |
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Gbenga sitting on the stairs
Oil on canvas 60.9 x 50.7 cm Collection Southhampton City Art Gallery |
Caroline Poole, 2003
Oil on canvas 122 x 91 cm |
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Back of Gbenga's head, 2003
Oil on canvas 122 x 91 cm Collection Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool |
Back of Fergus's head. 2003
Oil on canvas 122 x 91 cm |
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Desiree Sanderson lying on Blue Sofa, 2003
Oil on canvas 180 x 90 cm |
Desmond in profile
oil on canvas 35 x 28 cm Collection The Atkinson Art Gallery, Southport |
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Gbenga looking away, 2003
Oil on canvas 129 x 104.3 cm |
Gbenga taking the knee, 2002
Oil on canvas 180 x 155.4 cm |
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Giant head of Caroline, 2005
Oil on canvas 155.4 x 122 cm |
Giant head of Tiffany, 2005
Oil on canvas 155.4 x 122 cm |
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Giant head of Gbenga in Profile, 2003
Oil on canvas 122 x 122 cm Collection Sheffield Museums |
Giant head of Fergus in Profile, 2003
Oil on canvas 122 x 122 cm |
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Gbenga on the phone, 2003
Oil on canvas 155.4 x 122 cm |
Giant head of Marivi, 2006
Oil on canvas 155.4 x 122 cm |