25/04/2026
Zak is a creative alter ego of contemporary artist Ayobola Kekere-Ekun (b. 1993). She was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and currently lives in South Africa. Her B.A. and M.A. in Visual Arts were received from the Department of Creative Arts, University of Lagos, where she majored in Graphic Design. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Art and Design at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Zak’s practice examines the intelligence of material forms, specifically how matter can register motion, hold memory, and generate structure. Working with fabric as both medium and collaborator, she creates sculptural paintings that investigate the tension between control, release, repetition and variation. Each work begins as a pliable surface, then evolves through folding, expansion and compression into a dense topography.
Zak’s depersonalisation is an attempt to reinforce an emphasis on material over maker. Sidelining personal narrative redirects attention toward how the work itself articulates the slow accumulation of gesture, repetition and time embedded in each piece.
Zak
'Kenny's Field', 2025
Mixed Media (Sculpted Fabric and Acrylic on Canvas)
