Njideka Akunyili Crosby

**Njideka Akunyili Crosby** (born 1983) be Nigerian-born visual artist wey dey work insyd Los Angeles, California. Thru ein art, Akunyili Crosby *negotiates the cultural terrain between her adopted home in America and her native Nigeria, creating collage and photo transfer-based paintings that expose the challenges of occupying these two worlds*. Insyd 2017, na dem award Akunyili Crosby de prestigious Genius Grant wey komot de John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
## Early life den education
Na dem born Njideka Akunyili insyd 1983 wey dem raise am insyd Enugu, Nigeria. She be of Igbo descent wey she grow up bilingual insyd Igbo den English. One of six siblings, na Akunyili Crosby ein poppie, Chike Akunyili, be surgeon wey na ein mommie, Dora Akunyili, be professor of pharmacology at de University of Nigeria, den de former director of de National Agency for Food and Drug Administration. Akunyili Crosby move go Lagos wen na she be thirteen years old make she attend de secondary school Queen's College (QC) Yaba, Lagos. Na ein mommie win de U.S. green card lottery give de family, wey enable Akunyili Crosby den ein siblings make dem move to de United States wey dem get financial aid make dem study der.

## Ein life matter
Akunyili Crosby marry Justin Crosby, wey sanso be artist. Na she form friendships den trade work plus other artists such as Wangechi Mutu den Kehinde Wiley.

## Exhibitions
Akunyili Crosby stage a large number of solo exhibitions at museums den galleries insyd de United States den internationally. Ein notable solo shows dey include *I Still Face You* (2013), Franklin Art Works, Minneapolis; *Hammer Projects: Njideka Akunyili Crosby* (2015-2016), Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; *Predecessors* (2017), wey dey originate at de Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati; *Njideka Akunyili Crosby I Counterparts* (2018-2019), wey dey originate at de Baltimore Museum of Art; den *Njideka Akunyili Crosby: “The Beautyful Ones”* (2018), National Portrait Gallery, London.

She sanso participate insyd numerous group exhibitions, wey dey include *The Grand Balcony* (2016), La Biennale de Montreal; *A Good Neighbour* (2017), Istanbul Biennial; *Prospect.4: The Lotus in Spite of the Swamp* (2017), Prospect New Orleans; den *May You Live in Interesting Times* (2019), 58th Venice Biennale.

## Notable works insyd public collections
**The Rest of Her Remains* (2010), Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut
**Efulefu: The Lost One* (2011), Rubell Museum, Miami/Washington, D.C.
**I Always Face You, Even When it Seems Otherwise* (2012), Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia
**Janded* (2012), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
**Nkem* (2012), Rubell Museum, Miami/Washington, D.C.
**Nwantinti* (2012), Studio Museum in Harlem, New York
**Wedding Portrait* (2012), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
**"The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born” Might Not Hold True For Much Longer* (2013), Nasher Museum of Art, Durham, North Carolina
**Predecessors* (2013), Tate, London
**Thelma Golden* (2013), National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
**Sunday Morning (Predecessors #3)* (2014), Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town
**"The Beautyful Ones" Series #5* (2016), Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo, New York
**Facets: Screen Wall* (2016), Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
**Garden, Thriving* (2016), Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
**Mother and Child* (2016), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
**Portals* (2016), Whitney Museum, New York
**See Through* (2016), Pérez Art Museum Miami
**Super Blue Omo* (2016), Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida
**Wedding Souvenirs* (2016), National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
**Dwell: Aso Ebi* (2017), Baltimore Museum of Art
**“The Beautyful Ones” Series #7* (2018), Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
**Remain, Thriving* (2018), Tate, London
**Eko Skyscraper* (2019), National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

## Books den exhibition catalogues

* 2019 Berry, Ian, and Steven Matijcio, *Njideka Akunyili Crosby: Predecessors*, The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College and Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2019.
* 2016 Brutvan, Cheryl, *Njideka Akunyili Crosby: I Refuse to be Invisible*, West Palm Beach: Norton Museum of Art, 2016.
* 2015 Cornell, Lauren, and Helga Christoffersen, ed. *Surround Audience: New Museum Triennial 2015*. New York: Skira Rizzoli Publications, Inc., 2015.
* 2013 Baptist, Stephanie, ed. *Njideka Akunyili & Simone Leigh: I Always Face You, Even When it Seems Otherwise*. London: Tiwani Contemporary, 2013.
* 2013 Merjian, Ara H. *Vitamin D2,* London: Phaidon, 2013.
* 2013 The Bronx Museum of Arts, *Bronx Calling: The Second AIM Biennial*. New York: The Bronx Museum of the Arts, 2013.

## References

## External links

* Official website