Victoria Ndubuisi, Beatific (2021), oil & acrylic on canvas, 60 by 50 cm (Image courtesy of the Alexis Galleries Lagos)
“Movement is life,” tells Nigerian realism artist Victoria Ndubuisi.
Inspired by her passion for African contemporary dance, Ndubuisi uses marbling techniques to infuse movement into her realism paintings. The results are striking works that provide fluid visual narratives on the human condition.
During a studio interview at the Alexis Galleries Lagos, the artist shared some of the insights that influence her paintings, including thoughts on spirituality, human expression, and the process of self-discovery.
“I’m happy being an artist. […] being able to express yourself, not faking the expression or your reality, but letting people see ‘this is me’ [….] it’s beautiful.”
When discussing the development of personal identity, an integral theme in Ndubuisi’s work, she expressed, “It’s time. Most people don’t take the time. They rush themselves. You don’t need to. I just feel like finding yourself, you don’t need to rush.”
“As long as there is life and there is time, you [can] discover yourself. You can evolve.”
Ndubuisi’s signature marbling technique serves to echo this worldview by illustrating each human’s boundless potential for growth.
Although we have seen realism and abstract techniques combined before, it’s their deeply emotive portraits and complementary use of fluid colours that make Ndubuisi’s work unique. The portraits almost seem to have been stripped back, revealing vivid abstracts that leave more room for individual interpretation.
In the digital age where millions are focused on screaming into the void known as the worldwide web, Ndubuisi’s art seeks to serve as a mirror that draws people out of themselves by articulating their innermost thoughts.
Growing up in the coastal town of Badagry, Ndubuisi recalls constantly being surrounded by creative talent but was initially discouraged from becoming an artist.
“Art does not sell in Nigeria,” she remembers being told by her parents as a child, even though her father was an artist himself. Regardless, Ndubuisi went on to obtain a Higher National Diploma in Fine Art from the Yaba College of Technology. Today, her work has sold in major galleries in Nigeria.
