Nigerian/American, b. 1985
Toyin Ojih Odutola (b. 1985, Ilé-Ifẹ̀, Nigeria) creates multimedia drawings often presented in large scale series, or “chapters,” using pen ink, pencil, charcoal and pastel. Known for distinctive mark making, particularly her detailed treatment of skin, Ojih Odutola emphasizes the ever-shifting dynamics between space and place by blurring the lexicon of the figure to read as a landscape one “traverses.” Since 2011, themes in her work have explored the malleability of identity, meaning and power through portraiture and story-telling. She is based in New York.
Her work is inspired by both art history and popular culture, as well as her own personal history—being born in Nigeria then moving as a child to America where she was raised in conservative Alabama. The idea of traveling or transporting the self is a recurring theme in her work and, for Ojih Odutola, the construction of her figures is a means of discovering an individual’s character and personal story. Though the representation of skin has been a core focus of her practice, she has also explored depictions of landscapes, architecture and domestic interiors in more recent series.
Ojih Odutola earned her BA from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and her MFA from California College of the Arts in San Francisco. In 2016, she undertook a residency at Headlands Center for the Arts; and she was the Lida A. Orzeck ‘68 Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at Barnard College from 2017—2018. At the 2020 Apollo Awards, she was named “Artist of the Year.” As of 2021, in addition to her studio work, Ojih Odutola began a contributing column in Elephant Magazine.
Her work is inspired by both art history and popular culture, as well as her own personal history—being born in Nigeria then moving as a child to America where she was raised in conservative Alabama. The idea of traveling or transporting the self is a recurring theme in her work and, for Ojih Odutola, the construction of her figures is a means of discovering an individual’s character and personal story. Though the representation of skin has been a core focus of her practice, she has also explored depictions of landscapes, architecture and domestic interiors in more recent series.
Ojih Odutola earned her BA from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and her MFA from California College of the Arts in San Francisco. In 2016, she undertook a residency at Headlands Center for the Arts; and she was the Lida A. Orzeck ‘68 Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at Barnard College from 2017—2018. At the 2020 Apollo Awards, she was named “Artist of the Year.” As of 2021, in addition to her studio work, Ojih Odutola began a contributing column in Elephant Magazine.
