Toyin Ojih Odutola

There is mystery in this portrait’s title and the way the subject’s face is partially obscured by foliage. It is part of Toyin Ojih Odutola’s series of works about a fictional Nigerian aristocratic family helmed by a nobleman and his husband. She explored this narrative through the conceit that each series is a new exhibition from the patriarchs’ collection. The final exhibition, for which this drawing was made, provides a more intimate look at the family. The artist explained, “I need text to give me the permission to draw. They are two intertwining paths.”

–Jan Howard, Houghton P. Metcalf Jr. Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs