SUI Interview with Njidek Akunyili Crosby: Chimamanda of the Art World? You might not have heard about her, but Nigerian born U.S -based artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby has been described by CNN “as one of New York’s most promising new talents”. In pop culture parlance, Njideka is the next big thing in the ART world. I had sought an interview with her in February 2013 but somehow it didn’t work out. So when Victor EHIKHAMENOR, an award winning visual artist and writer – who was in town for the FRIEZE ART FAIR Week and 1.54 African Art Fair – invited me to Tafeta Gallery in Central London, my joy knew no bounds when I met Njideka there. Pronto an interview appointment was fixed for the next day. A Yale University MFA graduate, her works sold out in the 2012 Arts Basel – the number one fair for modern and contemporary art in the world. She has also participated in a year-long residency with the prestigious Studio Harlem in New York. Ok, quite rightly, let’s skip the introduction and allow you to dig into this exclusive interview with this brilliant artist who Victor Ehikhamenor describes as the “Chimamanda of the Art World”. SUI: You left Nigeria at 16 and you wanted to become a doctor, when did you decide to become an artist? Njideka Akunyili: It was a smooth transmission and I still ended up graduating with biology major, I took my first art class, the second semester of my first year and after that I took one or two art classes every semester, so I ended up as a double major. Majoring in Art wasn’t really a choice, it was more of I had taken enough classes that I could major in it; so I might as well. Then after I graduated, I took the year off and went back tom Nigeria to do the compulsory National Youth Service Corps and that was my year to really think and make a decision, that was my crossroads moment and I knew I could go either way and it was a lot of weighing where I wanted to go. I loved doing art more; it didn’t seem like work when I was doing it. When you do what you love and it would never feel like work. It also felt more relevant, that choice felt more relevant, more important like there was more of a stake to it than doing medicine, and of course I don’t want to go into a “medicine bashing thing” – I was very sick in grad school and doctors saved my life, so medicine is fantastic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Njideka is from Agulu in Anaocha LGA of Anambra State Nigeria.. Like&Share Face Of Agulu-Anambra State Valentine Amala Ulasi Valentine Obienyem Ugo Val Cyril Akunyili Akunyili Chike Akunyili Julius Akunyili Ugo Peter O. Akunyili Henezy Ikechukwu Akunyili Amaka Analike Ajaegbu Inno C Akunyi Akpawusi Henry Cynthia Akpawusi
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 10:21:48 +0000
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