Chioma Ebinama

Maryland, United States, 1988

            Chioma Ebinama is a Nigerian-American artist currently living and working in Athens. Her artistic exploration focuses on how animism, mythology, and pre-colonial philosophies provide a space to express a vision of freedom outside Western social and political paradigms. Her practice primarily revolves around watercolors on paper, using this medium as a meditative tool. Ebinama draws inspiration from a variety of sources, ranging from West African cosmology to popular art from the global south, to the visual language of Western religion and Eastern spiritual traditions.

            This fusion of aesthetics reflects Ebinama's nomadic life, facing personal challenges in her artistic journey, such as living without a home or studio for a period that led her to travel through Mexico, South Korea, India, Malaysia, and finally settle in Greece. These movements have also led her to collaborate with local artists in different countries to create textiles, sculptures, and wearable art, and to exhibit in various parts of the world. Her work also stands out for its reflection on gender and queer identities, using a figurative language influenced by surrealism and the LGBTQIA+ culture.

            These experiences have enriched her artistic perspective and influenced the themes and techniques of her work. Through her art, Ebinama seeks to question the entrenched structures of Western thought and power, providing an avenue for escape and critical reflection in a world that constantly seeks to define and consume black and female identities in simplistic terms. Her honest voice and exploration of beauty in uncertainty reflect a deep connection with personal experiences of change and uprooting, making her a prominent voice in the contemporary art scene.