← Curated
Hycenth David standing beside his work

O5 / CURATED ARTIST 01

HYCENTH DAVID

Pan-African artist · Pencil on paper

My name is Hycenth David, a Pan-African artist working primarily with pencil on paper.

DISCOVER THE PRACTICE
01 / ARTIST

THE PRACTICE

My practice is deeply influenced by the history, struggles, identity, and lived experiences of Black people. I use drawing as a tool for reflection. a way of looking beyond what is immediately visible and confronting the realities society often chooses to hide, silence, or normalize.

My work explores questions of identity, consciousness, culture, power, and the systems that shape how we see ourselves and the world around us. I am particularly interested in the liberation of the mind: breaking away from inherited narratives, conditioning, and unquestioned beliefs.

At the heart of my practice is a belief in radical truth.

HYCENTH DAVID PAN-AFRICAN ARTIST O5 CURATED

LISTED WORKS

WORKS IN THE COLLECTION

01 Contradiction #1 by Hycenth David

LISTED WORK / 2026

CONTRADICTION #1

2026 Charcoal and graphite on paper

This work explores the psychological effect of colonialism on the African identity. The bandages symbolize the invisible wounds left on the face of Blackness. wounds that are not physical, but mental, historical, and spiritual. The face here represents identity, because it is through the face that we recognize selfhood, presence, and humanity. By covering it, the work speaks to how colonialism distorted the African sense of self, interrupting the way Africans see themselves, their history, and each other. The figures remain physically present, yet their identities are partially concealed, suggesting a people still living with the afterimage of a colonial wound.

₦1,200,000 ACQUIRE WORK ↗
02 Contradiction #2 by Hycenth David

LISTED WORK / 2026

CONTRADICTION #2

2026 Charcoal and graphite on paper

This work explores the psychological effect of colonialism on the African identity. The bandages symbolize the invisible wounds left on the face of Blackness. wounds that are not physical, but mental, historical, and spiritual. The face here represents identity, because it is through the face that we recognize selfhood, presence, and humanity. By covering it, the work speaks to how colonialism distorted the African sense of self, interrupting the way Africans see themselves, their history, and each other. The figures remain physically present, yet their identities are partially concealed, suggesting a people still living with the afterimage of a colonial wound.

₦1,200,000 ACQUIRE WORK ↗
03 I Am Just a Man by Hycenth David

LISTED WORK / 2025

I AM JUST A MAN

2025 Charcoal and graphite on paper

This piece is inspired by my journey through my early twenties, a period defined by uncertainty, self-discovery, and the constant tension between who I was and who I am striving to become. The shaved head symbolizes a desire for clarity, a mind free from noise, doubt, and distraction. The figure, seen from behind, faces an unknown future, embodying the uncertainty that often accompanies growth and becoming something all humans must experience.

₦900,000 ACQUIRE WORK ↗

RETURN TO THE COLLECTION

O5 CURATED ↗