Caroline Chi-Chi Chinakwe
London based, Nigerian-born and self-taught, mixed-media artist, Caroline Chinakwe invites you on a journey as she tells a personal story of culture and identity.
A London College of Fashion alumni, Caroline has over 20 years experience working in the fashion industry in various capacities, including; production, design and styling and for brands including UK labels Nicole Farhi and Karen Mille and for African luxury boutique, Polo Avenue in Lagos Nigeria.
Caroline’s transition from fashion to art was both surprising and organic. In 2017, noticing the lack of diversity and positive representations of black models and designers in fashion media, Caroline started creating visuals made up of mixed media collages of black models, that portrayed the types of images she felt was a true representation of black people, their culture and style, using her background in fashion and styling as her first point of inspiration.
Spurned on by her work being noticed by industry influencers including Christene Barberich, co-founder of Refinery29, Hannah O’Leary, Head of Modern and Contemporary African Art at Sotheby’s and music artist and icon, Erykah Badu, Caroline has experimented with different mediums to develop her own style as an artist. Caroline’s art has her very unique signature on it, pushing the boundaries of various techniques, combination of textures and exquisite but deliberate imperfect touches.
The artist’s images portray the complexities of black women and men, intrinsically woven into their beauty, style, strength and grace. In her pieces, traditional and non traditional head wears and hair styles are worn with a sassy confidence, on a melanin heavy canvas and adorned in jewelry, whilst using makeup and accessories as a form of expressing their identity, individuality and pride in their culture.
Caroline’s latest art series, “Colourism”, created during the 2020 pandemic lockdown and following the death ofGeorge Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, explores the ugly bias surrounding the preference for lighter toned women in the black community, perpetuated by the global beauty industry.
The artist’s passion and love for her background and culture is very evident in her work. Her desire is that her work evokes excitement, pride, inspiration, curiosity, joy and appreciation for black beauty, style and culture in all of it’s glory.
“I create art that will challenge the mainstream, igniting an understanding and appreciation for black culture, style and beauty, as equal to the western ideology of beauty.”
Visit Caroline Chinakwe's website for more information.
Caroline Chi-Chi Chinakwe is one of the J/M Gallery participating artists.
