About Arinze Stanley:

Arinze Stanley Egbengwu (b. 1993, Lagos) is a Nigerian artist whose practice is centered on drawing and painting, with a focus on hyper-realistic portraiture. He began making art in childhood, often working with paper from his family’s business, and later studied agricultural engineering at Imo State University. This combination of early passion and academic training shaped the careful and structured methods he now applies in his studio.

Guided by the three P’s: patience, practice, and persistence, Stanley creates large-scale portraits on paper and canvas. He fuses charcoal, graphite, pastel, and colored pencil with acrylic and paints with oil, using experimentation to push a mixed media language that broadens his narrative voice. 

He is the founder of The Pond Studio in Lagos, Nigeria, a creative workspace and residency he established to support younger artists and encourage exchange within the local art community. Stanley’s debut group show was held in Nigeria in 2016 and since then, he has exhibited around the world (including all around the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Denmark), as well as in museums (including at the European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) in Barcelona) and at notable art fairs (including Art Miami, SCOPE Art Show, and 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair). Plus, the artist’s work has been profiled by CNN’s Emmy and Cannes Lions-winning global media company Great Big Story, BBC News, VICE, HuffPost, Afropunk, and Colossal, among many others.

ARTIST STATEMENT

"My art is born out of the zeal for perfection both in skill, expression, and devotion to create positive changes in the world.

I draw inspiration from life experiences and basically everything that sparks a feeling of necessity. I find myself spending countless hours working on artwork to stimulate deep and strong emotions in order to connect more intimately with my viewers.

Most times it’s almost like I lose control of my pencils and the art flows through me to the paper. 

I work with my Principle of the Three P's namely Patience, Practice, and Persistence. These have guided me over the years towards perfecting my craft."