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Toyin Ojih Odutola

(1985-), Artist

Artist of 1 portrait
Born in Ife, Nigeria in 1985, Toyin Ojih Odutola moved to America aged five. Known to portray members of her family and friends, she predominantly draws imaginary characters for the purpose of her storytelling. Many of her portraits contain contradictory elements – improbably angular interiors and landscapes collaged from around the globe – to formulate images which resist any specificity of place or time. Detailed and labour intensive, her drawings are particularly striking for the dense patterning of skin that makes every face a glowing, moving topographical landscape. Public collections holding work by Ojih Odutola include the Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Museum of African Art (Smithsonian). Her acclaimed 2017-18 solo show, To Wander Determined at The Whitney Museum of American Art chronicled the lives of two aristocratic Nigerian families.

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'Sadie' (Zadie Smith), by Toyin Ojih Odutola - NPG 7105

'Sadie' (Zadie Smith)

by Toyin Ojih Odutola
pastel, charcoal, pencil and graphite on paper, 2018-2019
NPG 7105

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