Sugar and Spice
Horse Print by Uzo Njoku
In conversation with visual artist Uzo Njoku ✨ featured in publications from Elle Magazine to Hypebeast, her bold patterns and figurative portraits celebrate cultural identity. Scroll down for more 💬
Addy: Uzo, thank you so much for joining me! What is your earliest memory of drawing?
Uzo: I would say the art class that I took in primary school, but it was never anything really serious. I also remember doing a lot of Bratz doll colouring pages growing up. I think that's my earliest memory of drawing.
Addy: Did you also start painting when you were quite young?
Uzo: I actually started painting five years ago. I come from a heavy STEM-based family, so I went to university at first to study statistics. After a year, I felt like I didn't belong there. There were people on the program that you could tell really loved it, you know? I just felt like even if I did continue on, I would eventually leave. So I took a break. I had a new apartment, so I just started painting, trying to recreate other paintings that I liked. I would just post them online. I noticed that people were commenting saying, “This is so great, this is so great.” So I started doing it a little bit more and the rest is history.
Addy: Amazing. It’s interesting that you spoke about coming from a STEM background, my family's very similar. It's always a bit difficult to have that conversation about wanting to pursue something more creative. It's really cool that you decided to change course.
Uzo: Yes. I would say to the minority and international students that want to pursue something other than STEM, your parents just want to make sure that you have a stable career. For them, what they see as stable is STEM, becoming a doctor or a lawyer, that kind of thing. Honestly, my advice to others is, if there's something that you want to do, as long as you can show your parents that you have steps to achieve it, you should have their support. You can't just say, “Oh, mom, I want to be a musician,” if you haven't shown the steps. From my experience, it’s also good to show the education that goes into it, to help tie everything together. That's my advice for everybody.
Addy: I think that's really good advice. If parents see the academic side to art and the technique and the skill that it takes, then they're more likely to be on board. How has growing up Nigerian and American influenced your practice?
Amorphous by Uzo Njoku
Uzo: I would say I'm very privileged to have the opportunity to be in America. You get so much access to support and really good school programs. I like being in between both cultures for a lot of reasons. I have the opportunity to live in a different country and understand a different culture. I also get to see a lot of people's perspectives. You can understand the experience of black boys in America, and then also know how things are in Nigeria. I think being from two worlds has expanded my view on things and also helped me to connect the two cultures within my practice.
Addy: That’s really interesting. You can definitely see aspects of both cultures within your work in terms of style. You choose to portray people of colour in your work, specifically black people; what do you hope to communicate?
Uzo: When I was growing up, whenever I saw black women, they were portrayed as - I wouldn't say the mammy archetype, but as more of an auntie stereotype. The auntie, the powerful, older, black woman. Then, if the woman was closer to my age, she was hyper-sexualised. I started to understand things about the male gaze, and about the differences when things are created by men. Even when you look at older paintings, let's say Sleeping Venus, they’re centred around the male gaze. You can see how the woman in the painting, her own gaze is lowered, she's more submissive, versus let's say if you were to have a woman paint her.
I try to put black women in more powerful gazes and positions and postures, especially young black women. I want to show that you don’t have to reach a certain age threshold to be a powerful woman. You're powerful from a young age. I try to capture that also in the colours that I use. Yes, you do see a powerful woman, but you should also see yourself somewhere in there.
Through the Looking Glass by Uzo Njoku
Addy: That's really cool. I like that you’re portraying black women in a way that isn't stereotypical. There are a lot of mammy-type figures in pop culture, like film and TV. Then within the music industry, young black women are hyper-sexualised. It's these two polar opposites that are very two-dimensional, so it's really powerful that you're addressing that. Your approach to painting is very unique to you; describe your creative process.
Uzo: I would say that it's always changing. I paint and then if I get tired of painting, I go into the digital space. If I get tired of doing digital, I do other things with my hands. As long as my hands are doing stuff, I’m happy. I don't really get “artist's block” because I'm constantly moving between mediums. I learned how to tuft carpets when I was studying in London for a bit.
Sometimes, if I get tired of figurative works, I just focus on patterns. I would say that my practice focuses on keeping that creativity flowing through different mediums, through different styles, and just having fun with it. I don’t really like to lock myself down with one style, it’s great to explore different things.
Mahogany by Uzo Njoku
Addy: Definitely. I know that some of your paintings are very large-scale. Do you prefer to use oil or acrylic?
Uzo: When it comes to bigger paintings, I’d say acrylic is a bit better because it dries faster. You never want to do a large-scale painting with oil. It's a hot mess. I do quite like both, but I like acrylic a little bit more because you get a brighter range of colours, and you can really achieve a lot more with that. But I’ve started to notice that I can actually bring them together. There are some artworks where the background is acrylic, the patterns etc, and then the figures are oil, so just balancing the two.
Addy: Amazing, I love the bright colours in your works. Which is more important to you, the subject of your painting, or the way it is executed?
Uzo: I'm very technical with what I do. My main thing is just trying to achieve the mood or expression through the composition. My colour scheme and pattern placement are very important. Those are the major parts for me as a technical artist.
That's why it was so hard when I first started, because the programs were looking for more colourful language to describe the art. I was just always so technical, especially coming from a STEM background. I didn't have that, so there was a lot of unlearning involved.
Knucks by Uzo Njoku
Addy: Do you feel like people want your works to follow a specific narrative?
Uzo: I feel like it’s human nature to always look for a deeper meaning in things. Some people want to know what my works mean. Others don't want to know, they want to leave it up to their interpretation. I do try to give them a little glimpse of something. What I do now is I try to explain to them how the idea came about. I think that helps to offer a little bit more of an insight into my work.
Addy: I love that. Who and what are your greatest influences?
Uzo: I have two influences. One is Njideka Akunyili Crosby. I love her story because when I didn't really have any artists to look up to, I would study her to see where she started her career. She actually studied pre-med, and then she switched to art. That's very similar to me and I really like that. Also, she is very vocal about social issues.
Aware by Uzo Njoku
Another one is Martha Stewart. It's actually not for her cooking, but I essentially want to be the black version of Martha Stewart in terms of home goods. People think that I'm just an artist. I also have business ideas that I want to achieve. I'm expanding my company into home decor. I want to offer towel sets, dish sets, bathmats, shower curtains. It's not going to be through figurative works. It will be through very stylistic patterns.
It's crazy because you see Martha Stewart everything. You see Martin Stewart glitter, craft supplies, Martha Stewart knives. I was like, “I want to be like this.” I really want to touch on as many product designs as I can. Those are the two main people for me.
Addy: That's so interesting. I like Martha Stewart, she’s quite funny. Especially her dynamic with Snoop Dogg. Wow, I never would have guessed that those are your two greatest influences. (laughs)
Uzo: I always try to look at people as more of a blueprint for me.
Addy: I feel like a lot of artists are expected to ignore the commercial side of art, even though that's how a lot of them make a living. It’s great that you’re tapping into that. Do you have a favourite piece of work that you've created?
Uzo: I really like Good Times right now. COVID is just dragging on, I don't really see things getting any better. In Good Times, she's just smiling with her gap, she's happy. When I see it, it makes me happy. I was very particular about the colour choices that I used. My favourite work constantly changes, but right now it’s Good Times. If someone had asked me two months ago, I’d probably have said something different, but right now, in this moment, Good Times is my favourite.
Good Times by Uzo Njoku
Addy: Beautiful! Are you looking forward to life post quarantine?
Uzo: Yes. I hope that once it’s over, I'm just as happy as she is.
Addy: That's cool. Very wholesome, positive vibes.
Uzo: Exactly. (laughs)
Addy: What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
Uzo: I would say it's the idea of doing. You spend so much time thinking about what if. Just do it. A friend of mine has been dancing around the idea of creating boob tape for a long time. I told her, “Yes, just do it. Just go for it.” Research is your best friend. She's done so much now and even made a website. The best advice is just do it.
When I first had the idea to make a colouring book, I literally just went for it. Sometimes it's harmful because you do make mistakes, but I'm the kind of person that likes to learn from my mistakes and move forward from them, because it makes you stronger and you're able to pass on that knowledge to the next person.
Addy: Did you say that your friend is making tape?
Uzo: Boob tape, yes. Like bra tape. (we stan)
Addy: Cool, just wanted to clarify! There’s definitely a niche in the market for that.
Uzo: Yes. I had to come in and sort of put my foot down, because she does a lot of pink and glitter designs. I was like, “let’s just keep this simple.” We spoke about design concepts and things like that. The concept is very professional. It’s clean and easy for people to use. I’m always talking about things from a design perspective.
Addy: Women-owned businesses, we love to see it. Okay, last question! Your debut solo show will open in New York this summer. Congrats!
Uzo: Thank you.
Addy: What can we expect to see?
Uzo: I’ve been bouncing around a lot of different ideas. I think it's so boring for art to just be on the wall, you have to create an experience. The whole of last year, I made so many commercial products, and I’ve been trying to work out how to bridge the gap between the two. How do I bring these two things together? I think I've found the solution. If you come to the show this summer, you will see an exhibition where commercial and fine art come together. It should be an experience.
Addy: Exciting! The gallery is on the Lower East Side, right?
Uzo: Yes, around that area. It's called the Voltz Clarke gallery.
Addy: Your first solo show, that’s a big deal. So exciting.
Uzo: Thank you.
Higher Calling by Uzo Njoku
Addy: So at the end of interviews, I like to do something called a rapid-fire round 🔥🔥 Here we go! Dadaism or pop art?
Uzo: Pop art.
Addy: Keith Haring or Yayoi Kusama?
Uzo: Yayoi Kusama.
Addy: Selfies or candids?
Uzo: Selfies.
Addy: (laughs) 10 Things I Hate About You or How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days?
Uzo: How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
Addy: Yes! That's a great film. Rubies or emeralds?
Uzo: Emeralds.
Addy: That's So Raven or Sister, Sister?
Uzo: That's So Raven.
Addy: Halloween or New Year's Eve?
Uzo: Halloween.
Addy: What would your superpower be?
Uzo: Invisibility. I could get away with some stuff. (laughs)
Addy: I always think that people are going to choose time travel or something.
Uzo: I would like to be an invisible fly on the wall for some conversations.
Addy: So like, lurking.
Uzo: Yes. (laughs)
Addy: I love that. Which TV sitcom cast would you be a member of?
Uzo: That's hard. I would have to say… Girlfriends. I can do Girlfriends. Everyone’s so lavish.
Addy: Great choice.
Uzo: It's a good location. Yes, I could do that.
Addy: What's the last song that you listened to?
Uzo: I think it was Rapid Fire by Santi. Yes, that was the last song.
Addy: Omg, the perfect ending to the rapid fire round 🔥 Uzo, thank you so much for joining me today!
Uzo: Thank you so much for having me.
For more from the amazing Uzo, check out her shop here!