Ekow Nimako is a Ghanaian Canadian, internationally exhibiting Lego artist. Combining a multidisciplinary and formal arts program, Nimako explores Afro-futurism and Black narratives through an unmistakable figurative aesthetic that transcends the iconic medium. Nimako has exhibited works in Canada, Germany, Korea, and the United Kingdom.
Ekow Nimako might not be a name you're familiar with, but I hope that after this you will be inclined to look him up and see the marvelous things he's done with his art and support his cause. His first big commission was a 50,000 white Lego piece of an Ontario Barn Owl called "Silent Knight," which was on display at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto. Though his latest pieces are the things that have the strongest message and have been, in my opinion, the most eye-catching.
Ekow's most prolific work has been his Building Black collection, which is inspired by his African background and his want to display the representation that he feels he hasn't seen enough of using Afro-futurism as the main ingredient for his work. The first thing that stands out is that he uses only black Lego pieces; he has stated in past interviews that he uses black Lego pieces for different reasons but one being as an identifier, stating, "When I make faces, creatures, or children using Black LEGO their identity is never in question so it can never be intentionally or unintentionally erased or denied. The living entities I create are undeniably, eternally Black."
This is powerful to hear, as some of the most renowned Black artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kara Walker, and Kehinde Wiley used their medium as a way to reflect their culture and identity that they did not see enough in the mainstream.
One of his greatest architectural pieces, "Kumbi Saleh 3020 CE," is a100,000-piece cityscape marvel under his Building Black: Civilizations collection. This is where we see the true nature of the term Afro-futurism as he blends styles of medieval and sci-fi all while combining the roots of his parent's homeland Ghana and the ancient empire that existed all those years ago. It's this ode to his African culture that is clearly displayed in his work and should be shown to all kids, not just minorities, to display the beauty in the history of Africa — in particular their medieval era and the civilizations they had developed. It's these stories that Ekow shares through his art that not only educate people about a culture that not many may know about, but also illustrate the possibilities in which to express that culture.
Speaking of youth, Mr. Nimako has an incredible workshop kit called Building Beyond that he offers on his website, which helps kids "imagine –and build– their own distant futuristic descendants, while visual artist and creator Ekow Nimako shares critical insights on his sculptural work, the importance of Afrofuturism, and how LEGO® can be used to rebuild a more inclusive world for us all." So even if you can't make the trip to Canada to see his incredible artwork firsthand, you can at least take part by creating something just as beautiful, even if on a smaller scale at home while learning just as much.
His most recent piece, "Asamando," is still a work in progress as you can see below. It is set to premiere at the Dunlap Gallery in Regina, Saskatchewan, from Oct. 2022 to Jan. 2023 for his new series Building Black Civilizations II: Journey of 2000 Ships. If you'd like to see more, you can check out the progress made on this piece through his Instagram as well. Just from the sheer scale of the project, you know it's going to be epic, so please make sure to check it out and support Nimako once it debuts. It's this type of artist that I think should be acknowledged more clearly — and so does Lego, as they have done a video highlighting Nimako's incredible work, especially now since it is Black History Month.
I hope that this shined a light on a magnificent artist who is doing something I've yet to see, and that it gives you a glimpse of a nation's history that you don't often see in our mainstream media. I think it's important that we try to educate our young on not only African American history here in the States, but of the rich history of Africa that we have yet to dive into like we have our European ancestors. Here are a few more of Mr. Nimako's incredible pieces and the stories behind them.
Building Black: Civilizations collection
Building Black: Mythos collection
As it states on his site, his "Mythos" collection dives into the "Black mythological narratives and other-worldly adventures." We've all heard about Greek and Norse mythology, but African mythology is one I've never really heard of or seen in any form, so to see it displayed in these magnificent pieces highlights a branch of mythology I want to be more familiar with.
Building Black: Amorphia collection
"A series of artworks that thread together elements of West African mask-making, organic forms, and interstellar vessels." —Ekow Nimako
Like in all these collections we see another aspect of the traditions out of West Africa: specifically, mask making that has been considered by many as some of the greatest works of art out of the continent. This is yet again blended with Ekow's futuristic eye, which makes these pieces just as hauntingly beautiful as the ones that were made all those centuries ago.
Many masks were made to embody spirits of animals or ancestors from their tribes and carried great meaning to not only those who wore them but those who created them as well. This, I think, speaks even more on the talent of Nimako, as you see the love of his ancestry and the respect for the art form of mask making on display, giving his unique touch on the rich history that had laid a blueprint for him.
Comment down below which piece impressed you the most, and let us know some Black artists you think people should be on the lookout for.
Make sure to head right here for more of BuzzFeed's Black History Month coverage.
