Talut Kareem (b. 1994, Lagos, Nigeria) is a multidisciplinary artist exploring the intersections of visual art, sound, and performance. He holds a National Diploma in Mass Communication from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic and a B.A. in Visual Art from the University of Lagos. Kareem's practice delves into the human experience, capturing emotional and mental states through distorted self-portraits and immersive sound experiences. His work has been featured in exhibitions at CFHILL Gallery (Stockholm), Jeffrey Deitch Gallery (New York), and various artist residencies, including Rele Arts Foundation and African Artists' Foundation. His practice is rooted in drawing and painting, with painting being his primary form of expression. Following his creative block the past year due to unpredictable conditions effected by his environment, he took a break off the medium most familiar to him to explore other art forms. Drawing became a consistent practice, eventually giving way to sound and performance. His journey into sound was sparked by a profound connection with music and an insatiable desire to create.
Through his practice, he investigates the transitory nature of awareness, probing the complexities of human emotions, mental states, and social behaviors. His visual language, characterized by smudged charcoal pastel portraits, blurs the lines between reality and abstraction, echoing the fluidity of our inner experiences. Sound and performance have become integral to his exploration, allowing him to tap into the ephemeral and the intangible while being self conscious. By curating immersive sonic experiences, he aims to capture the essence of collective consciousness, inviting viewers to confront their own emotional landscapes.
Kareem has been featured in exhibitions including Next of Kin where he was awarded a third winner prize, Conversations, Sublime, and his most recent group exhibition, Unusual Suspects at AAF. He also featured in the group exhibition Stop, listen! at CFHILL Gallery in Stockholm, Sweden, which explored Nigeria's contemporary figuration movement. In November 2021 Kareem was selected for Self-Addressed, organised by Kehinde Wiley and Jeffrey Deitch in Los Angeles. For this landmark exhibition, Wiley invited a selection of contemporary African artists to produce a self-portrait. Together these portraits presented a new exploration of identity, perception, and self-regard within the global stage.
He has participated in artist residencies including the Rele Arts Foundation Young Contemporaries, 3 x 3 x 3 Artists in Residence, and the AAF Artist in Residence Program at the African Artists' Foundation in Lagos, Nigeria.