Kelvin Okafor: Invited Artist, Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2026

Shimbe Avalumun Queen, 2023, pencil on paper, 70x59cm

Kelvin says about the work: 

‘When I was a child, my family and I would often travel to Nigeria over the summer and Christmas holidays. Being that I have always been fascinated with people from a very early age, I would constantly be in ‘study mode’, quietly observing people and analysing their bodily temples. 

In Nigeria, we have over 350 tribes (371 to be exact) and within those tribes you have a plethora of cultures and people in all shades of melanin. As a child I was curious as to why there where a few people I would come across who were uniquely lighter in complexion of skin, hair and eyes. I would hear people in Nigeria call these particular beings “Afin” or “Anyali”. I later came to understand that these specific people were called Albino. 

Albinism (Albino) is a rare genetic condition which affects the production of melanin in people, plants and animals. Different types of albinism are caused by various gene mutations. 

My model Shimbe Avalumun Queen is an Albino who resides in Benue State, Nigeria. She is a student of Benue State University studying Sociology at 400 level. Earlier this year I came across an Instagram post from inspirational Afro Media channel NWE. The post featured a series of photographs taken by multidisciplinary artist, Ibukun Akindele, who captured beautiful stills of Shimbe. 

After reaching out to the artist and muse, I had the pleasure of drawing inspiration from unseen images in their documentary “The Beauty In Skin Diversity”. As I’m also building a body of work highlighting the differences and conditions of skin, this particular project couldn’t have been more aligned. 

Shimbe struggled with albinism growing up. She was bullied as a child and it got progressively worse later in her teenage years, leaving her feeling depressed at some points. 

I had a video call with Shimbe the first time we met. In that call she mentioned these difficulties she faced growing up. Fortunately, one of her friends enlightened her about albinism. Telling her that "it is not a curse, it's just lack of melanin pigmentation" and that she should not feel bad when people laugh, but rather to focus on bringing out the best in herself so that others can see the beauty in albinism. 

Due to melanin being involved in our optical nerve development, Shimbe was also ridiculed for being shortsighted and having to read books very close up to her face. In spite of all of this, Shimbe highly excelled in her exams beyond her peers that would laugh at her shortcomings. This gave her the courage to persevere through and stand up to people who who put her down. 

As an artist who specialises in portraiture, this particular project meant a lot to me. From being a child who was abundantly curious about people with albinism, I feel blessed to have the opportunity later in life to draw someone who has the condition and shed light and awareness on it. 

A big thank you to artist, Ibukun Akindele for granting me access to his amazing archive. And a special thank you to Shimbe for giving me the honour of capturing her gracefulness and inspiring me greatly by wearing her skin so proudly.’