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Quote by Toyin Odutola

“I dont think about race before I start drawing. I think about how to make that mark to fit whatever purpose I need it to fulfill.”

Quote by Toyin Odutola

Author

Toyin Odutola
Toyin Odutola

Toyin Odutola (born 1985) is a Nigerian-American contemporary visual artist known for her intricate mixed-media drawings and paintings. Her work explores themes of identity, race, gender, and class, with a focus on reimagining Black bodies in art history and contemporary culture. Using pen, pencil, charcoal, and acrylic, she creates highly detailed portraits that challenge stereotypical representations. Born in Ibadan, Nigeria, she moved to the U.S. as a child and grew up in Alabama and California. She earned a BFA from the California Institute of the Arts and an MFA from Yale University. Her work has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Tate Modern, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Odutola is recognized for her innovative techniques and narrative-driven approach, often incorporating Afrofuturist and postcolonial themes. more

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“I do not believe that the tendency is to make men and women brave and glorious when you tell them that there are certain ideas upon certain subjects that they must never express; that they must go through life with a pretence as a shield; that their neighbors will think much more of them if they will only keep still; and that above all is a God who despises one who honestly expresses what he believes.”