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A portrait of Stefan made for the final season of Top Boy.
Netflix
9–13 September 2023
Ken painted Stefan for the premiere of the final season of Top Boy. Commissioned by Netflix with Intermission Films, the oil painting was shown at Somerset House in London in September 2023 and later at the National Portrait Gallery.
The portrait holds the character’s youth alongside the pressure of the world around him. Its close attention to his face asks us to see a person before we see a role or a story about where he comes from.
Top Boy has given a wide audience stories set in east London and brought Black British talent to the foreground. This portrait is Ken’s contribution to that conversation. Commissioned by Netflix in partnership with Intermission Films.
From the archive
Press & Further Reading
- THIS DAY: Somerset House: Ken Nwadiogbu’s Artistry Illuminates Netflix’s Top Boy, 2023
- National Portrait Gallery — Stefan: Portrait of a Top Boy — exhibition information
- GUAP — Portrait of a top boy why art matters
- ALT A Review — Portrait of a top boy exhibition open 9 13 sept at somerset house top boy the final season on netflix from 7 sept
- Vanguard — Ken nwadiogbu from royal college of art to global art sensation
- Getty Images — Stefan: Portrait of a Top Boy — exhibition photographs
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