From Tiffany-Annabelle Davies, a Floral Ode to Womanhood

With her sights set on a forthcoming exhibition in Abuja, Tiffany-Annabelle Davies reprises her pet theme bordering on femininity. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports 

Tiffany-Annabelle Davies, obviously driven by a passion to engrave her name in flaming letters in the industry’s consciousness, is currently looking forward to the next big thing: her first-ever solo outing in Abuja. Talking about this show, it makes sense that she would want to make it a “triumphant homecoming.” This is since she is still riding high on the reported success of her last year’s exhibition in Ghana, which even earned her the attention of the country’s first lady.

A quick flashback to the Ghana outing. Although the exhibition, according to her, was her first beyond Nigerian borders, it left her with positive impressions of the locals. Even though these were total strangers to her, she found kindness and compassion in their midst and ended up selling a painting to the country’s first lady.

Meanwhile, the forthcoming exhibition in Abuja has been planned as a weeklong affair. Titled Women in Bloom, it is billed to take place from May 9 to 16 at the federal capital city’s iconic hotel, the Transcorp Hilton. The ten-piece offering, which is a spin-off from Miss Aligned, her sold-out debut show in Lagos, traces a journey of growth and self-discovery, with the current female subjects having blossomed. It is probably dubbed “transformative” because of its powerful message, which swirls around the celebration and the embracing of a woman’s evolution as well as highlighting her inherent strength.

Evidently, the University of Surrey, UK law graduate’s allusion to womanhood—so far, a theme song of her art practice—strikes upon a little-heeded or unknown fact about women’s true divinely-willed purpose in creation, which borders on positively influencing their surroundings. Awareness of this purpose is often overshadowed by society’s fixation on marriage and motherhood as their main goals. Hence, ignorance about a woman’s ability to attract abundant blessings to her surroundings prevails. Interestingly, the artist’s depiction of happy, confident, and self-fulfilled women who wear the fact that they have conquered life’s challenges on their sleeves introduces a unique vibrancy to her art. 

Had humanity not tragically fallen from grace and consequently, through millennia-long willful opposition to the natural order, attracted so many afflictions and horrors to themselves, the concept of true womanhood wouldn’t have been such a nebulous and debased one. And, perhaps, this artist wouldn’t have, in a bid to be true to herself, set great store on expressing herself in cryptic forms—a fact that easily makes her art inaccessible to many. Nonetheless, with skilled precision, she subtly intertwines a male presence into her latest work. This seamless fusion of male and female forms symbolises the profound impact a woman, embracing her authenticity, has on the opposite sex. It also unintentionally lifts the veil on the little-known fact about genders, which are merely the visible expressions of the nature of a human creature’s activities, portraying femininity as delicate and subtle and masculinity as robust and physically stronger.

Also, it is noteworthy that the women depicted in the paintings are embedded in African floral motifs, as an obvious nod to the exhibition’s title. This hints at their deep connection to their roots and inherent strength—a detail that is noticeable even to the most casual viewer. Likewise, the recurring presence of triangles throughout her pieces adds another layer of intrigue, often cleverly camouflaged within the compositions. 

Contemplating Davies’ unique use of lines is akin to savouring the pleasant thrill that comes with watching a child at play. This is even when her childlike forms jar on the viewer’s concept of balance, and her manipulation of charcoal lines across the canvas leaves him with the impression of being drawn into otherworldly influences.

The British-Nigerian artist, who proclaims her admiration for the late American pop artist Andy Warhol, considers Victor Ehikhamenor, a prominent contemporary Nigerian artist, to be her mentor. Despite her preference for the messiness of charcoal, she enjoys experimenting with acrylic paints. She also recently learned screen printing from the nonagenarian artist Professor Bruce Onobrakpeya in his studio located in the Lagos mainland neighbourhood of Mushin. Her unwavering dedication to experimentation has propelled both her artistic growth and the evolution of her own unique form of expression. This is evident in her experimentation with techniques and materials, which resulted in the mesmerising interaction of charcoal and oil pastels on brown paper. “My use of brown postal paper and the symbol of triangles are ever-present in my pieces, and I have enjoyed integrating them in new ways,” she discloses in her artist statement. 

Despite being born in London, Davies maintains a deep connection to her Nigerian roots. This is one reason why she draws her inspiration from the vitality of Nigeria, particularly the commercial city of Lagos, which adds to the rich tapestry of her creative expression. Listening to specific types of music motivates her to sketch, whereas simply observing her natural environment provides her with colour inspiration.