Untold Stories by Alex Peter Idoko

Nigerian artist, Alex Peter Idoko, first stands out simply because of his fascinating art style - he is a self-taught pyrography artist. This means that he uses razor, sandpaper, wood, and fire via a burner to create his intricate works. Fascinating!

But his work goes even deeper because he uses his beautiful portraits to tell narratives that are typically ignored. His images invite you to take much more than a passing glance. Instead, it makes you feel and ponder about the societal issues we are all facing. In one portrait for example, a young woman looks on sadly at us (the viewers) with her lips slapped shut, unable to speak and hoping that we can speak for her. But the answers to the problems she’s facing actually lies with her, depicted by the keys sowed into her hair. In another powerful image, a man stands with only his hand towards us, with his shackle unbound, but not fully - an ode to how Africa has gained independence from colonialists, but is still self-bound by corruption and lack of progress.

With Idoko’s pyrographic style and his poignant images, he makes us take note of his creations while urging us to think more actively about our issues and their solutions. See some of our favorite works from him below.

Find out more about Alex Peter Idoko’s work from his website.