I Always Face You, Even When It Seems Otherwise 2012

Njideka Akunyili Crosby made this intricate, multimedia painting, "I Always Face You, Even When It Seems Otherwise," using acrylic, collage, and transfer prints. You can tell she has built it up slowly, deliberately, like a puzzle made of memories. It is easy to imagine the artist's process— the careful layering of images, the building up of textures, and the push and pull between representation and abstraction. The figures are partially obscured by collaged images, family photographs perhaps. These suggest layers of history and identity, embedded in the present moment. The title makes me think about relationships, distance, and connection. There's something deeply personal here, yet it speaks to universal experiences of identity, belonging, and memory. Like Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Akunyili Crosby complicates the space between figuration and abstraction. There's a sense of ambiguity that invites us to project our own experiences onto the work. It reminds us that painting is an ongoing conversation, a way of making sense of ourselves in relation to the world.