Collaged Paintings Bridge the Two Worlds of a Nigerian-American Artist

The scenes Njideka Akunyili Crosby depicts in her partially-collaged paintings are domestic and intimate. There are no obvious conflicts portrayed, and the people who populate her work seem as though they'd have reason to be quite comfortable in each others' presences. And yet, the works are imbued with a powerful tension, as in the familial-looking scene of I Still Face You, where every figure gathered around the table brings to it their own motivations and anxieties. Akunyili Crosby grew up in Nigeria and moved to the US for her post-secondary education. She earned her MFA from Yale, and has been the recipient of numerous prestigious arts prizes. Her works often deal with her dual identity as a Nigerian and recent American, as well as her relationship with her husband.

Akunyili Crosby's works are displayed in a show at the Norton Museum of Art called I Refuse to Be Invisible, curated by the Norton's Director of Curatorial Affairs, Cheryl Brutvan. “I was fascinated by Njideka’s exceptional and distinctive painting style and was attracted to her compositions because they are powerful while often revealing timeless images of vulnerability," Brutvan tells The Creators Project." My respect for her efforts grew over the organization of the exhibition as she revealed the complexity of her approach to painting and her objectives for each work. And if the public response to her efforts is any indication, she has deeply touched many people not only because of the beauty and ambition of her paintings, but also for sparking conversations about Nigeria, living in America and how we identify ourselves.”

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