Untitled (Mkpuk Eba)
- Artist: J.D. Okhai Ojeikere
- Date: 1974, printed 2012
- Medium: Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper
- Dimensions: image: 300 x 300 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Untitled (Mkpuk Eba)” by J.D. Okhai Ojeikere. The image is a gelatin‑silver print, originally captured in 1974 and re‑printed in 2012, giving it a crisp, monochrome clarity that feels both historical and fresh. It shows a young Nigerian woman, her face framed by a distinctive hairstyle that has become an icon of contemporary Nigerian fashion. Her hair is styled in a way that echoes traditional Yoruba coiffures while simultaneously asserting a modern, assertive identity. The photograph’s focus on head and body, the subtle interplay of light and shadow, invites us to consider how fashion and identity intersect in post‑colonial Africa. Ojeikere’s work, part of the Nigerian Modernism collection, captures a moment of cultural self‑definition that resonates far beyond its surface. The stark, black‑and‑white palette also emphasizes the contours of the subject’s expression, making the portrait feel timeless and instantly relatable.
See it in person
Untitled (Mkpuk Eba) is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
