Toyin Ojih Odutola, a Nigerian artist based in the United States, has recently sold one of her works for £471,000- about ₦215 million. The artwork, titled Compound Leaf, was sold at the famous Sotheby’s auction in London.
With the sale, Odutola, 34, has now scored the third biggest sum for an artwork by a Nigerian. Only two other artists from the country- Njideka Akunyili-Crosby and the late Ben Egwunowu -have had their works purchased at higher valuations.
Her artworks typically explore black racial identity, a theme she says she’s been interested in from her childhood days. They draw from her experience as a dark skinned person who has lived much of her life in a predominantly white society.
Odutola has become known for her preferred sort of art- portrait drawings made with black ink. She has also used pencil, pastel and black and white charcoal in more recent times. The pieces she comes up with are usually quite detailed; the material she deploys for the artwork helps her convey both variety and obscurity- concepts which point the viewer back to the themes she’s examining with her works.
The subjects of some of her works hint at her connections with Nigeria and the wider African continent, as well as influences from within the American and broader western artistic traditions. She’s acknowledged her high school teacher for bringing her to appreciate the works of famous African American artists, from which she’s gotten some of her inspiration.
Although Odutola’s latest achievement brings her firmly into the spotlight for art enthusiasts back in Nigeria, she has been on the radar of keen watchers of the USA’s creative space for a while. In 2018, she was one of 21 emerging artists from across the world shortlisted for the Future Generation Art prize for 2019.
Her works have been exhibited at some of America’s top art museums, including the Smithsonian, Princeton, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Born in Nigeria in 1985, Odutola moved to the United States with her family in 1990. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art and Communication from the University of Alabama in 2008 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the California College of Arts in 2012.
Odutola currently lives and works in New York.
Featured Image Source: frieze.com
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