Chigozie Obi
Chigozie Obi (b. 1997) is a multi-dimensional visual artist who obtained a bachelors degree of Visual Arts from the Creative Arts department, University of Lagos in 2017. Her work is consistent in the use of vibrant colors and figures to portray emotions and stories formed from personal/shared experiences and focuses on the representation of Black people in their diversity.
Her work has been featured in several group exhibitions and sales, which include, GTBank Art635 Inspire Auction (2020), MoCada Museum’s silent auction (2019), Collective Renditions, African Artists Foundation, Lagos (2019), Rele in Lekki, Lagos (2018), The Studio Scout, Omenka Gallery, Lagos (2018). She was selected as Arthouse Contemporary’s Artist of the month – July 2018, one of the recipients of the inaugural Tilga Fund for Arts Grant (2020) and the Art.ng Grant for Visual Artists (2020), one of the nominees for The Future Awards Prize For Art (2020), one of the shortlisted artists for The Alpine Fellowship Art Prize (2020) and recently concluded her residency with Bethany Arts Community, New York, USA (2020).
Her work authenticates her keen interest for the human aspect of life, the body, beauty standards and the strive for self-acceptance. She aims to create sustained conversations about people and society – the cultural narratives adopted and how it affects people in it, especially women.
Artist Statment
My art is a catalogue and channel for thoughts, ideas and feelings that are inspired by events in my life as well as those of the people around me. My practice also carries my personal views about the world and aims to create sustained conversations with the purpose of informing or educating my audience.
I seek to connect with people by making them feel the vehemence in the stories I tell. As the result of personal connection, the subjects in my work thus far have been African/Black people. I convey messages on insecurity, depression, beauty standards, stereotypes, gender identity problems amongst others in relation to how they specifically affect the black community. My work is also an avenue for activism as I am passionate about various social issues especially those affecting women.
My intentional inclusion of black people and black stories has expanded into a representation of the diversity of black people themselves in ways of appearance, beliefs and general ways of life.
My practice employs experimentation in various media. The process of researching and working with a combination of different materials has brought about new challenges, endless ideas and results for me and has also influenced my fascination with the concept of creating multiple layers in my work. I continually look forward to discoveries born out of experimentation and new ways to tell stories.
