Nyado. The Thing Around Her Neck 2011

Njideka Akunyili Crosby's "Nyado. The Thing Around Her Neck" is a mixed media work, probably made with acrylic, charcoal, and collage on paper. The painting is awash with yellows, browns and blues, like a hazy afternoon memory. I imagine the artist layering image upon image, building up the surface through collage, erasing some parts and revealing others. There is a lot of tenderness and vulnerability in the gestures of the figures. What stories are embedded in the floral patterns and tiled patterns? I can almost feel the textures and surfaces. Look closely, and you’ll notice there are images embedded in the architecture of the chair and floor. Njideka is speaking to history and its layered impact on our lives. Her work echoes artists like Romare Bearden who also mixed collage, paint, and personal narrative to convey the nuances of identity and experience. This piece isn’t just a painting, it’s a conversation between the artist, her materials, and all the artists who came before. It feels like a very personal and embodied kind of expression, embracing ambiguity and suggesting multiple interpretations.