"The Beautyful Ones," Series #2 2013

Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s, "The Beautyful Ones," Series #2, uses mixed media to create a layered narrative about identity and memory. Akunyili Crosby was born in Nigeria in 1983 and her work often reflects her experiences of living between two cultures, her art examines the complexities of cultural identity in a globalized world. The title, borrowed from Ayi Kwei Armah's novel, suggests a commentary on post-colonial disillusionment and the loss of innocence. The superimposition of personal and historical images, along with the figure in the center, embodies a tension between individual experience and collective memory. Akunyili Crosby has said that her work is about "negotiating a space between my experience of Nigeria, where I was raised, and my experience of America." The domestic interiors and the use of fabrics, reference the artist's personal history, connecting it to broader postcolonial experiences. "The Beautyful Ones," invites us to consider how personal and collective histories shape our identities. The series acts as a visual poem, inviting reflection on the beauty and complexities of cultural hybridity, and the many stories which define us.