The Artist Profile Archive’s latest short documentary features Njideka Akunyili Crosby, the esteemed Nigerian-born, Los Angeles–based artist. In this video, the artist speaks from her L.A. studio, reflecting on her trajectory as an artist, creative process, and her 2023 exhibitions “The Hilton Als Series: Njideka Akunyili Crosby” and “Njideka Akunyili Crosby: Coming Back to See Through, Again” at David Zwirner in Los Angeles and New York.
Born in Nigeria in 1983, Akunyili Crosby immigrated to the United States at the age of 16. She went on to study at Swarthmore College, where she majored in biology and took many art classes. “Art was so much more than I had thought about,” she explains in the documentary. “It was something you could use to talk about your life, your dreams, your past, your future, the state of the world, politics, society. That was a game-changer for me, just seeing how impactful art has been, is, can be.” She went on to earn an MFA at the Yale School of Art in 2011 and has since become critically acclaimed for her dynamic mixed-media works.
Through painting, drawing, photo transfer, and collage, Akunyili Crosby has developed a unique visual language that draws on her Nigerian heritage and experiences living in the U.S. Watch the new documentary to learn more.
About The Artist Profile Archive
The Artist Profile Archive is an ever-expanding archive of short documentaries on contemporary artists in their own words, interviewed in their studios, speaking about their educational background, sources of inspiration, current exhibitions, and artistic process. The Artist Profile Archive website features multimedia content including biographies, exhibition photos, audio clips, and behind-the-scenes footage, providing a historical record of some of the most important contemporary artists working today.