I Always Face You, Even When It Seems Otherwise 2012

Njideka Akunyili Crosby made this painting, I Always Face You, Even When It Seems Otherwise, in a way that reminds me of collage, like putting different moments and feelings together on one surface. The piece is like a puzzle of textures and colors. Look at the way she uses photos to create patterns on the clothes, contrasting against the soft, painted skin tones and the sharp edges of the furniture. It’s like memory itself – layered and a little blurry. The way the light hits the lace on the chair, for example, is both real and dreamlike. I'm also struck by the title, and how it speaks to the figures in the painting, to looking and being seen. It reminds me a little of David Hockney's composite portraits, in the way that he sees the same people from multiple perspectives, collapsing time and space into one. Art is a conversation, you know?