Through eloquent linear details and brushy, color-blocked backgrounds, Collins Obijiaku renders tender portraits in oil. Often directly meeting the viewer’s gaze, the striking figures inspired by individuals within the artist’s community command our attention. The artist harnesses a sense of timelessness, with a palette that swings from earthy to jewel-toned and subtle hints of architecture, nature, and art historical iconography that transcend specific eras.
Raised in Nigeria’s Kaduna region, Obijiaku recently moved to Chicago, where he has grappled with the emotional resonance of distance and getting used to an entirely new place. “Seen through a sentimental lens, these settings lend the paintings an intimate, dreamlike quality, as though recalling a presence from memory,” says a statement from Roberts Projects, which will be presenting the artist’s forthcoming solo show, Wherever You Are, Remember Me.
Obijiaku relishes how everyday experiences have the potential to prompt memories. Food smells can evoke thoughts of holidays or relatives. Sounds can transport us to specific times and places in our past. And when exploring somewhere new, it’s common to experience a kind of illusory familiarity, such as when a stranger passes on the street and they remind us of someone we objectively know is thousands of miles away.
A handful of the works shown here, including “Rengaji” and “Portrait of Benedicta Rufus” will be included in the show, complementing a suite of still lifes. “Rengaji,” for example, nods to Renaissance paintings in the Christian tradition of the likes of Fra Angelico, while also referencing Obijiaku’s own childhood memories of royal processions in Nigeria, where crowds would gather to observe the king.
Wherever You Are, Remember Me opens on November 7 and continues through December 19 in Los Angeles. See more on Obijiaku’s Instagram.
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