What is your heritage?

I grew up in Norway in a town called Sarpsborg, together with my mum and my sister. My mum is Norwegian - born and raised in Sarpsborg herself, while my father is from Okrika, Nigeria

 

In which ways does black femininity influence your art?

I'm interested in “black femininity” as a concept or idea; how we see it, how we think about it in relation to white femininity or black masculinity, what’s being excluded, and the consequences of that exclusion.

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I want to create work that challenges established notions of black, female identity. For instance, it has been important for my own growth to be conscious of the selection of “body parts” for my collages - to ask questions along the way. Why did I chose that face or that body over another - and with that, try to explore my own biases.

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What was the last book you read?

What is Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi

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What narratives do you explore in your artwork?

My work explores questions about race, family relations, gender, sexuality, violence, loss, identity and more. For a long time I worked with images of close relatives; constructing and deconstructing my family’s history. I wanted to visualize through my work the interconnectedness between the personal and the political; exploring my personal history alongside collective history and memory.

 

What advice would you give to other emerging artists?

To stay true to oneself, ones ideas and work. To not lose focus. To keep supportive and loving people around you that feed you good knowledge and who remind you of what you, and why you do it.