“Super Blue Omo” (2016) by Njideka Akunyili Crosby, courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro, copyright Njideka Akunyili Crosby
“I want to show just how normal life is in Nigeria” –Njideka Akunyili Crosby
When Njideka Akunyili Crosby moved to the US from Nigeria at the age of 16, it dawned on her how little the outside world really knew about daily life in her homeland. An unfortunate truth, America has a habit of ignoring and generalising African countries into a monolith of AIDS and corruption. Perplexed by this reality, Akunyili Crosby took to painting as a way to show outsiders that daily Nigerian life is not unlike that in America. In an interview with the Guardian, the artist maintains this sentiment. “Stuck in traffic, 30 minutes late for a meeting – that is the bulk of life.” She furthers, “I think people sensationalise places in their heads, so I wanted to show just how normal life is in Nigeria.”
Though the young artist originally envisioned a career in medicine – a path her father and several siblings have all taken – encouragement from a past art teacher gave Akunyili Crosby the confidence to pursue painting. A long string of awards and accolades later, and the talented creative has built a career focused on demolishing tired stereotypes of the “authentic African experience”. Incorporating found materials that exemplify Nigerian pop culture, Akunyili Crosby’s paintings are best described as documentations of the in-between, displaying the moments in one’s life that often go overlooked. Each artwork is a testament to the fact that no matter where a person comes from, chances are their life is a lot more similar than different.
“Ike Ya” (2016) by Njideka Akunyili Crosby, courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro, copyright Njideka Akunyili Crosby
“See Through” (2016) by Njideka Akunyili Crosby, courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro, copyright Njideka Akunyili Crosby
“Portals” by Njideka Akunyili Crosby is on display at London’s Victoria Miro gallery until 5 November 2016