Nigeria, America?
I Live to Create
Visual Artist | Chinedu Felix Osuchukwu
Exhibition | Order and Chaos
Curators | Eduarda Oliveira and Elizabeth Casqueiro
Listen to the audio of the Work
Voiceover David Warren
The Work
The first piece “Nigeria, America? “ are again two separate pieces made into one each are 27”x 16” inches long which is made up of found cardboard objects. The left side mimics what a birds eye view of Nigeria would be in a rectangular shape which is suppose to emulate a flag. This portion of the piece is painted with green yellow splotches of light pink white all earthy tones to evoke more of the nature and connection to the natural world. The green is like a rich darker color, to represent the natural vegetation of the land. Nigeria is know for its agriculture so , the audience will see different pieces of found cardboard ranging from toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, paper towel rolls and other pieces that I combined together to give topography of land mountains and the shape of the surface and how I see or occupy that space of my identity. One part in particular that is protruding out is the palm wine cup , brown and somewhat smooth, which is a symbol of tradition respect and order this ties in my Igbo roots. This refers to the term that I coined “Igbo Washingtonian” this is more about Nigerian in America and exploring that identity. As you move on to the second half of the piece it has red, white and blue( American flag colors) painted on the cardboard while it has pieces similar to the Nigeria portion there are lines which represent the lines on the American flag. On the top looks like a painter flame which is the explosion the American world colliding with the Nigerian and how the outside world can see it as chaos but internally it is just one person coexisting in two worlds that don’t necessarily fit but grow to fit into each other.
The second piece titled “ I Live to Create” it is a large red piece self portrait that shows my inner struggle with my hemophilia condition. This clashes with life as movement and joints but some how I find ways to overcome the pain and freely do work. The piece has a small bottle cap and raised paint that give it texture. You can see the mark making in the piece that are a representation of the inner chaos my body goes through and inner scars.
The Artist
Chinedu Felix Osuchukwu
Born in Washington, DC, to Nigerian immigrant parents, Chinedu Felix Osuchukwu spent his early years between DC and Nigeria. Osuchukwu graduated from Duke Ellington School of the Arts, received his BFA from Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, DC, and completed his MFA at Maryland Institute College of the Arts (MICA) in Baltimore. An accomplished artist and academic, he has been the recipients of many awards and shows his work in the US and internationally.
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