Efulefu; The Lost One 2011

Editor: This is "Efulefu; The Lost One" by Njideka Akunyili Crosby, created in 2011 using mixed media—a combination of acrylic paint and collage. I find the figures in this painting so striking, but also somewhat unsettling. There's a layering effect, a sort of fractured narrative…what do you see in it? Curator: It feels to me like memory itself, fragmented and pieced together. I get lost in the layers. See how the artist uses collage to create a background teeming with images seemingly pulled from Nigerian history and culture? Then juxtapose that against these central figures, caught in intimate moments, almost ghost-like in their partially defined forms. They seem present and absent simultaneously. Doesn't it conjure this tension between belonging and displacement? Editor: Absolutely. The 'lost one,' 'Efulefu', the title feels loaded, but what kind of displacement are we talking about here? Curator: It could be a physical displacement, perhaps referencing the immigrant experience of being caught between two worlds, two cultures. Or, perhaps, a deeper sense of alienation from one's roots, one's identity. Crosby, herself, moved from Nigeria to the United States as a teenager, so this tension feels deeply personal. Notice too how she intentionally leaves parts of the figures unfinished, almost like they're fading. Editor: Yes, that unfinished quality is very evocative! It makes them feel vulnerable, searching… Is that a cultural critique, or more of a personal statement? Curator: It is both, wouldn't you say? Art this rich rarely operates on just one level. By blending personal experience with broader socio-political themes, Crosby is inviting us to reflect on our own identities, our own sense of belonging. Perhaps we’re all a little bit lost. Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way, but seeing all these layers and how they blend together… it's a really powerful comment on identity and belonging. I'll definitely carry that perspective as I keep studying her work. Curator: And I’m grateful to see the painting in a new light.