Ndidi Emefiele NIgeria, b. 1987

Ndidi Emefiele (1987, Nigeria) lives and works in North Hampton, UK. Inspired both by the Nigerian tradition and cultural references linked to gender and identity, Ndidi Emefiele plays with materials, creating layered figurative compositions using paint, pen, photos, textiles and found objects. Traditional mediums and materials merge with contemporary subjects and topics (such as female identity), creating a strong narrative featured by dynamic brush stroke and juxtaposition of colour. In Emefiele's canvases women emerge as powerful presences, who exist in relation to each other in a universe where the male is only noticed by his total absence. These figures make no attempt to fulfill male expectations. The large glasses they often wear become a way to objectify the ideological shield used as a protection from the world.