Marcellina Akpojotor

The work of the young artist with an international career who employes collaging and traditional painting techniques

Born in 1989 in Lagos, Nigeria, Marcellina Akpojotor engaged in drawing, design, stencil work, and calligraphy at an early age under her father’s guidance. Later, she pursued formal education in Art and Industrial Design at the Lagos State Polytechnic, further honing her skills and broadening her artistic horizons.

Akpojotor’s art fascinates audiences worldwide through its thought-provoking narratives and unique media, creating an aesthetic that mixes politics and intimacy around culture, identity, and feminism.

Employing a captivating blend of collaging and traditional painting techniques, Akpojotor’s creations are marked by rich textures, layered compositions, and compelling, colourful visual imagery, delving into themes such as femininity, personal and societal identity, and women’s empowerment. She transforms primarily discarded pieces of Ankara fabric, sourced from local fashion houses, into powerful canvases akin to “intriguing tapestries of twitchy and alluring tactile surfaces”, as Professor Frank Ugiomoh writes in his essay.

Author Biography

Marla C. Berns, Director of the Fowler Museum at UCLA (Los Angeles).

Bruce Onobrakpeya, printmaker, painter and sculptor.

Frank Ugiomoh, Professor at University of Port Harcourt. The book also includes a conversation between Renée Uba and the artist.