gallery rosenfeld is pleased to present a solo booth of Ndidi Emefiele's last body of works at Expo Chicago 2022.
Drawing on cultural, gendered and personal references, Ndidi Emefiele creates layered figurative compositions that, dynamic in brush stroke and in juxtaposition of colour, conjure the complexity of contemporary experience and female identity. Emerging out of the Nigerian panorama, the strength of her narrative becomes even more pronounced as she encompasses collage, textiles and traditional materials conveying a strong sense of cultural heritage and aesthetics inspired by her homeland.
Ndidi Emefiele's incredibly vivid canvases embrace a vision of women as strong, vibrant, self-confident characters who exist in relation to each other in a universe where the male is only noticed by his total absence. Her assertive figures make no attempt to fulfill male expectations. The depiction of enlarged heads which are traditionally said to control and predict one's destiny, and the use of extravagant glasses or CD's, become a recurring element objectifying the need for a shield against the world.
Ndidi Emefiele became known for depicting strong, self-sufficient women in urban backdrops. In her new works, inspired by her sister's tragic death, the artist places her characters in natural surroundings where animals fulfil a metaphoric function, often influenced by sources as disparate as Nigerian mythology and the book of Revelations.
The overriding theme is how our loved ones never disappear into nothingness and they are always there to guide us if we are receptive to that possibility. Emefiele manages through the vibrancy of her paintings and their message to make the experience of viewing them extraordinarily life-affirming.