Collins Obijiaku’s (b.1995 Kaduna, Nigeria; based in Abuja, Nigeria) elegant portraits of Black men and women gaze directly at the viewer. The artist uses various materials, often mixing oil, acrylic, and charcoal to achieve soft gradients, seductive texture, and beguiling linework; seen up close, the arrangements of his brushstrokes are almost cartographical in appearance. The artist’s subjects are both people close to him and strangers he meets on the street, which allows Obijiaku to create intimate records of his home and surrounding community. Obijiaku has exhibited internationally, including New York, London, Lagos, and Accra. He was an artist-in-residence at Black Rock Senegal, a multidisciplinary residency program founded in 2019 by Kehinde Wiley in Dakar, Senegal.
Collins Obijiaku
Aunt Vivian and Coach, 2022
Oil and charcoal on paper
39.37 x 27.56 in (100 x 70 cm)
Collins Obijiaku
Untitled, 2022
Oil and charcoal on paper
39.37 x 27.56 in (100 x 70 cm)
Collins Obijiaku
Sandra, 2022
Oil and charcoal on paper
39.37 x 27.56 in (100 x 70 cm)
Collins Obijiaku
Untitled (Woman II), 2021
Oil on paper
39.37 x 31.5 in (100 x 80 cm)
Collins Obijiaku
Yellow Fisherman Hat, 2021
Oil on paper
70.87 x 59.06 in (180 x 150 cm)
Collins Obijiaku
Untitled (Woman I), 2021
Oil on paper
39.37 x 31.5 in (100 x 80 cm)
Collins Obijiaku
Yellow House 6, 2021
Oil and charcoal on paper
29 x 21 in (73.7 x 53.3 cm)
Collins Obijiaku
Yellow House 4,2021
Oil and charcoal on paper
29 x 21 in (73.7 x 53.3 cm)
Collins Obijiaku
Yellow House 3, 2021
Oil and charcoal on paper
29 x 21 in (73.7 x 53.3 cm)
By Lita Barrie
One of the first galleries in L.A. to focus on African-American artists like legends Betye Saar and Kehinde Wiley, Roberts Projects has continued to represent significant black artists and help them develop their careers – from the emerging to the established. This tightly-curated selection of works subvert the meaning of “oasis” from diverse perspectives exploring the relief we seek from hardship.
Roberts Projects is pleased to present a tightly-curated selection of works that interpret and subvert the meaning of 'oasis' from a diverse range of perspectives. Works by contemporary artists including Amoako Boafo, Daniel Crews-Chubb, Suchitra Mattai, Collins Obijiaku, Ed Templeton, and Brenna Youngblood conjure sensations of relief that nurture the human spirit while contemplating the hardships from which we seek refuge. Major hishlight sof the booth include Betye Saar's Oasis and Suchitra Mattai's between oceans.
By Navya Pothamsetty
Collins Obijiaku’s portraits are relatively simple: a profile of a single person against a simple background. Born in the Kaduna region in northern Nigeria, the internationally-exhibited, self- taught artist is now based just north of Abuja—the strategically central capital of the nation. The deceptively simplified surfaces of Obijiaku’s creations belie miles of depth beneath the facade of their sartorial expression, and the identities assumed in their skin complexion. Captivated at first glance, the Obijiaku viewer is invited to observe, on closer inspection, how small differences in clothing, posture, and gaze animate two- dimensional portraits to vivid life.
We are pleased to announce Collins Obijiaku's contribution to the 2022 TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art auction, taking place October 22, 2022
The annual auction is held at The Rachofsky House in Dallas, benefiting two organizations – the Dallas Museum of Art and amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Register to bid here. TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art is an annual contemporary art auction held at The Rachofsky House in Dallas, benefiting two organizations—the Dallas Museum of Art and amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.
For this landmark exhibition, Wiley has invited a selection of contemporary African artists living throughout the world to each produce a self-portrait. Together these portraits will present a new exploration of identity, perception, and self-regard within the global stage through the lens of figuration, exploring notions of perspective, authorship and control within acts of expression that directly address the self. All proceeds benefit Black Rock Senegal, a multidisciplinary artist-in-residence program founded by Kehinde Wiley in Dakar, Senegal. Self-Addressed will open at Jeffrey Deitch gallery in Los Angeles on November 6, 2021.
