Toyin Ojih Odutola’s expressive portraits delve into the multiplicity of identity through intricate depictions of Black skin. She layers pencil, pen, charcoal, graphite, and pastel onto paper and panel, creating rich topographies that mirror the complex textures of her subjects’ personalities. Known for her multimedia drawings and works on paper, which delve into the fluidity of identity and the potential of visual storytelling. Odutola attributes the evolution of her style to her use of pen, which she values for its dual role as a writing instrument, aligning her artwork closely with fiction. She often dedicates months to crafting narratives that unfold through her series of artworks, much like chapters in a book.

Ojih Odutola earned her MFA in painting and drawing from California College of the Arts and has showcased her work in New York, London, Cape Town, San Francisco, Paris, and Chicago. Her pieces have fetched six-figure sums at auction and are part of the collections at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of African Art, the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

In 2012, Odutola participated in the project AFRO: Black Identity in America and Brazil at Tamarind, and produced five editions that reflect on the complexities of racial identity.

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Artforum
Whitney Museum of American Art
The New Yorker
Hyperallergic