“I am intrigued by lines, colors and forms” - Photo credit: Bara’ah J. - Pensacola, FL.

Biography

Abigail Nnaji is an interdisciplinary artist based in the US. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Fine and Applied Arts from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where she majored in painting. Working across multiple media, she seeks connections and narratives that bridge materials and meaning. In her final year, she experimented with colored plastics as an alternative painting medium. She also integrated Uli motifs—traditional Southeastern Nigerian designs synonymous with the Nsukka Art School—into her work. Since 2013, she has maintained a dedicated full-time studio practice.

Growing up, she was influenced by her mother's fashion business, watching her cut fabrics with precision. This early exposure, combined with her formal training in painting, led her to create fashion-inspired works that depict styles across cultures and tell their stories. Her paintings celebrate the beauty and experiences of women while addressing critical issues, including gender inequality, violence against women and girls, economic disparity, and childcare—challenging perceptions of femininity in an African context.

By 2016, the Chinese Embassy sponsored her scholarship for a trip to China to participate in a seminar on Chinese paper-cutting. Recognizing the precision that mirrored her mother's fabric cutting, she began integrating the technique into her paintings by adding new dimensions of texture and cultural resonance to her work. This innovative fusion caught international attention, and in 2018, she became the first African artist invited as the International Artist at the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival in Pensacola, Florida, in its more than forty-year history. 

Beyond her studio practice, Nnaji invested deeply in community. She first served as Assistant Secretary and later as Executive Secretary, contributing a combined eight years of service to the Female Artists Association of Nigeria. During her tenure, she co-organized exhibitions, seminars, and workshops that supported women artists and promoted girl-child education. These efforts earned her the Dedication and Impact in the Arts Award at the Association’s 2025 International Women’s Day celebration.

Her evolving practice led her to explore three-dimensional work in 2020, and subsequently, she earned a Master of Fine Arts at Washington State University in 2025, focusing on sculpture and installation. As an artist committed to community engagement, her work explores themes of migration, identity, community, and adaptability. She is also passionate about advocating for women’s rights, girl-child education in Nigeria, and mental well-being—advancing these efforts through her art, storytelling, and active volunteering.

During graduate school, she earned several scholarships and awards at both departmental and college levels, which enabled her to pilot mental wellness projects across the WSU Pullman Campus geared towards mental wellness for students. These initiatives—including creative painting, clay work, fiber art, de-stressing events, and mindfulness coloring—provided students with therapeutic outlets during stressful semesters. She also launched a temporary public art sculpture around the campus, bringing her wellness advocacy to broader audiences.

Nnaji’s works are in various collections, both private and public. Her works are at the prestigious Yemisi Shyllon-Museum of Art in Lagos-Nigeria, at the Embassy of Spain Residence in Abuja, and at the Mayor’s office at the City of Pensacola, Florida. She has participated in various exhibitions and solos to her credit. She is the immediate past Executive Secretary of the Female Artists Association of Nigeria (FEAAN), and a member of Ferrum Art House, Switzerland.

Artist Statement

My current practice examines the connections between human existence and experience through paintings and three-dimensional forms that embody both personal and collective narratives. Central to my work are themes of migration, community, identity, femininity, and transformation—exploring the journeys of those who move locally or internationally for work, study, or family.

Through painting, I explore how lived experiences shape feminine identity within the African context. My work depicts women's struggles—gender inequality, violence, economic disparity, and the burden of childcare—while challenging how the feminine body is perceived and represented. The Afro hairstyle appears prominently throughout my work, symbolizing 'Black is beautiful' and the reclamation of cultural roots. I create these paintings using acrylic on canvas, paper, denim, and fabric, incorporating paper-cutting techniques that add highly textured, distinctive layers.

My sculptures and installations are either free-standing or hung on a support. To visually depict the challenges migrants and communities experience—cultural shifts, financial obstacles, human rights violations, poverty, discrimination, and language barriers—I shape forms through folding, crumpling, wrapping, contouring, and squeezing.

My recent body of work, Unfolding, explores the creative process through layered history and upcycling. Using repurposed jute coffee sacks, I examine their weathered surfaces, embedded codes, and global journeys—symbolically linking them to the migrant experience, which is similarly shaped by movement, adaptation, and reinvention. Like these coffee sacks, migrants carry visible and invisible histories as they cross borders in search of work, education, family, or safety. The transformation of these utilitarian materials into art reflects a process of transition and resilience. While my current focus is on reclaimed materials, I also work with Styrofoam, plaster, and fiber, and remain open to exploring other media as they become conceptually and materially relevant to my practice.

I employ techniques such as tying, dyeing, mold-making, printmaking, collaging, and stitching to transform materials into forms that speak directly to viewers. By working with repurposed materials like used jute coffee sacks, paper, and fabric, I connect with the lives and stories of everyday people, celebrating their experiences and resilience. I also incorporate Uli motifs from Southeastern Nigeria as design elements and symbolic language, weaving cultural identity into the work.

Art serves as a universal language, and I aim for my work to spark dialogue, inviting viewers to connect with both their personal and collective experiences.