Toyin Ojih Odutola's The Treatment
*Originally published on April 25, 2018
Written by Alexa Wilson
Born in Nigeria, raised in Alabama, and currently living in New York, Toyin Ojih Odutola is an artist we’re completely captivated by. The moment I saw Toyin’s work, I was immediately hit with its almost textured appearance where everything looks like it’s swirling and glowing. Then came the subject matter behind the work--Toyin explores themes of identity, futurism, travel, and the portrayal of blackness in art.
We aren’t the only ones taking notice of Toyin’s talent, Solange has been a long-time collector of her work. Toyin held her first solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum, and has released her second art book, The Treatment.
In The Treatment, Toyin explores the idea of who we see as individuals and who we choose to assign into groups through 43 ink and pencil portraits that take young, famous white men and give them “the treatment”. Each seemingly special, unique individual’s features are slightly skewed and their faces are filled in with her signature marking technique to make them all look nearly indistinguishable to challenge the viewer’s own idea of what makes up individuality.
You can purchase The Treatment by Toyin Ojih Odutola here. Follow @toyinojihodutola
*Images via Toyin Ojih Odutola
