Mentees

Ene Yakno-Abasi Jessicah is an emerging abstract realism artist in Lagos, Nigeria. From an early age, she showed a great passion for art and was always eager to experiment and improve her skills. This attribute earned her a place among the best-graduating students of the Department of Fine Arts of the University of Uyo. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine and Applied Arts, specialising in Textiles. A textile specialist, Yakno’s inclination to experiment with materials and processes gave her a good grasp of other aspects of art. Because of her love for the expressiveness of the paint medium, in 2019, she decided to start creating works in the genre of Painting. She derives inspiration from the formal elegance of the human body, in which she applies elements like bright colours and textures to create Afrocentric symbols and patterns to portray the beauty and diversity of her culture as an African woman. She merges textile design and painting elements to create colourful Afrocentric fabric patterns from her imagination. Recently she has been working on the idea of sisterhood, feminism and violence against women from personal experiences and that of other young women living in Nigeria. She uses mixed media to add textures and depth to enhance the expressiveness and perception of her paintings for everyone, especially the visually impaired. She expects art lovers to perceive her works through the various senses, such as sight, touch and others. She has participated in some group exhibitions and art sales in Nigeria. Many of her works are in individual and corporate collections in Nigeria and abroad.