One of Britain’s Rising Art Stars Debuts New Major Exhibition at The Art House
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The Art House is proud to announce When the Dawn Delays, We Rise Anyway, a landmark exhibition by Tonye Ekine – recently named one of Britain’s top 40 rising art stars by the Royal Society of British Artists and featured as “the artist to watch out for.”
Opening on 6 September 2025, the exhibition unveils a bold new series of Ekine’s distinctive paintings alongside his first major body of sculptural work, created on-site at The Art House. Together, these works explore powerful narratives of identity, resilience, and belonging.
Alongside this growing recognition in Britain, Ekine remains dedicated to reshaping perceptions of African art and widening horizons for African artists both locally and globally.
At the heart of Ekine’s practice lies the recurring motif of the Ife bronze mask, evoking the ancient Yoruba city of Ife. The mask becomes both a personal and cultural vessel, carrying stories of memory, emotion, and endurance while connecting the artist to his Nigerian heritage.
For the first time, Ekine expands beyond painting into sculpture, developing a striking new series that centres on the motif of the coin – a fading artefact that raises questions about how societies assign value and whose histories are preserved.
Around the gallery, women wearing the Ife mask stand as quiet yet powerful figures of resilience, recalling those who sustained families and communities often without recognition. Ekine shines a light on the absence of such women from coins and notes – symbols of value and power – and extends this reflection to the present day.
His sculptures speak to the overlooked labour of women, as well as diaspora, migrant, and minority communities, whose contributions have long been essential yet undervalued.
Tonye Ekine: When the Dawn Delays, We Rise Anyway is a major moment in the career of one of Britain’s most exciting emerging artists, and a powerful reflection on heritage, identity, and value. This exhibition is not to be missed.
Notes to Editors
Images and interviews by arrangement
Press Contact: Damon Jackson-Waldock / damon@the-arthouse.org.uk / 01924 31200
About The Artist
Tonye Ekine (b. Nigeria, lives and works in London) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting and sculpture. Rooted in storytelling, his work explores identity, resilience, and belonging, often drawing on personal memory, ancestral inheritance, and postcolonial histories.
A recurring motif within his practice is the Ife bronze mask, evoking the ancient Yoruba city of Ife and acting as a vessel for cultural resilience, memory, and emotion. Through this symbol, Ekine connects with his heritage while addressing wider questions of history, representation, and value.
Ekine has been recognised as one of the top 40 rising art stars by the Royal Society of British Artists and was recently profiled by The 49th Street as “the artist to watch out for.” His work has been exhibited in the UK and internationally, and his bold, narrative-driven practice continues to attract growing critical attention.
