Marcellina Akpojotor

Place: Lagos

Born: 1989

Biography:

Marcellina Akpojotor is a Nigerian artist born in 1989. She had her first apprenticeship under her father, assisting him with drawing, design, stencil, writing and calligraphy work before she eventually moved on to study Art and Industrial Design at the Lagos State Polytechnic. Employing collaging and traditional painting techniques, Akpojotor produces richly textured and layered work with compelling visual imagery exploring femininity, personal and societal identity, familial history and women empowerment in contemporary society. She works primarily with discarded pieces of the Ankara fabric, investigating the politics of the fabric as a cultural signifier and a conduit for memory and shared energy. Akpojotor has been featured in several group exhibitions including The Flower Show (2023), L.A. Louver Gallery, Los Angeles, Narrative as Reality: Constructing an Identity (2023), Martin Museum of Art, Texas, Orita Meta (2021), Rele Gallery, Los Angeles, BLACK VOICES: Friend of My Mind (2020), Ross Sutton Gallery, New York and Sisters: The Art of Nigerian Women (2018) at Carnegie Gallery, Ohio. She held her first solo exhibition She Was Not Dreaming at Rele Gallery, Lagos in 2018 and her second exhibition Daughters of Esan: The Alpha Generation in 2021 at Rele Gallery, Los Angeles.