VISUAL ARTIST Ubong Ettebong
Ubong Ettebong: Figurative painter
Ubong Ettebong was born in 2001. He is a figurative oil painter from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. He earned his BFA from the University of Uyo in 2024.
For Ubong, art is a gift. It is also his way to connect with the world. He works in oil paint to explore deep themes. These include self-discovery, self-realization, freedom, equality, and inner peace.
His paintings reflect his world. Both past and present. Each canvas holds people, moments, and quiet thoughts. Through color and form, he asks big questions. Who are we? What does freedom feel like?
Ubong hopes his art moves people. He wants it to spark feeling and thought. So viewers find part of their own story in his work.
Before his solo show, Ubong joined several group exhibitions. These shows helped shape his voice. In 2024, he held his first solo exhibition. It was called “Search for the Hero”. Each painting explored heroism and identity. To date, he has shown in six group exhibitions total. His voice as a young Nigerian artist keeps growing.
BATHTUB
Soaking the body in a warm bath comes with benefits as we all know. In Ubong’s painting, however, the bath is empty, possibly due to a lack of water. Yet the figure still finds peace in the empty bathtub.
MINDFULNESS
Ubong the artist, presents a striking dialogue between human consciousness and instinctual awareness, embodied by the juxtaposition of a male figure and a cheetah. Through this pairing, the artist reflects on the shared imperative of attentiveness to one’s surroundings, suggesting that survival is not merely physical but also ethical and emotional. The cheetah becomes a metaphor for heightened perception.
