“For Opacity: Elijah Burgher, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Nathaniel Mary Quinn” is on view in our Main Gallery. Wed-Sun 12-6pm | Thur 12-8pm
Via toyinojihodutola
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This portrait was drawn during a transitional phase in my studio. The incorporating of the pastel skin patina beyond the matte charcoal I had been using predominantly the year before.
I tend to use my face as a platform to experiment with new materials and this "self portrait" served as a test to see if I could pull it off, just months before I began the work for my solo exhibition at whitneymuseum for
#ToWanderDetermined.
Looking at this work now, it feels miles away. I remember feeling nervous about it, packing in too many marks, which I later softened as I got more accustomed to the materials. This might sound strange, but to call this a self portrait feels unnerving to me. Seeing "her," I sense the kind of woman I may or may not have known once. She seems contented, but anxious. Her eyes haunting.... The disassociation ...