In vivid color or stark black and white, self-taught Nigerian artist Ifeyinwa Joy Chiamonwu’s new paintings and drawings at Jack Shainman Gallery continue to dazzle with their hyper-realism. Dedicated to celebrating Igbo tradition through her work, Chiamonwu includes foods, architecture and symbolic items from her culture in joyful portraits. In this graphite and charcoal drawing titled ‘Mgbeorie (Woman born in Orie Market Day),’ she refers to the Igbo tradition of naming children after the market day on which they were born, while the shell earring nods to objects passed down in families over time. (On view in Tribeca in Jack Shainman Gallery’s 346 Broadway location through March 28th).
