The Tang Museum in Saratoga Springs, New York, along with Nigerian artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby, are soon opening a fascinating exhibition featuring a portrait series depicting domestic scenes and daily life. Details here!
On October 14, the Tang Museum — located on the campus of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York — will open an exhibition showcasing the monumental works of Nigerian artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby.
In “Predecessors,” personal themes transcend individual experience and speak to universal themes of family, love, and domesticity, but also provide a powerful perspective on the African diaspora and postcolonial culture. According to the museum, “Akunyili Crosby depicts her late mother, who was a prominent Nigerian politician, her sister, and herself within compositions of her grandmother’s home. The psychologically powerful, monumental works examine her relationship with loved ones, her Nigerian upbringing, subsequent immigration to America, and marriage to a white Texan. Through the utilization of collage, printmaking, painting, drawing, and photo transfer, Akunyili Crosby creates a sophisticated visual language that draws upon her Igbo tribe’s customs, Nigeria’s British colonial past, and tropes of Western art. In ‘Predecessors,’ personal themes transcend individual experience and speak to universal themes of family, love, domesticity, and enters the global discussion of postcolonial cultural exchange.”
Tang Teaching Museum Dayton Director Ian Berry said, “Akunyili Crosby’s work, in stunning detail, subverts preconceived notions of artistic representation. Through layering different methods and at times unexpected materials, she presents an alternative to stereotypical perceptions about Western art and the lives of contemporary Africans. It is a pleasure to collaborate with Njideka and the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati to present her series ‘Predecessors’ at the Tang, and we are excited to have her join us on campus this fall.”
The exhibition continues through December 31. To learn more, visit the Tang Museum.
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