Njideka Akunyili-Crosby, the Nigerian-born visual artist and daughter of the late NAFDAC Director-General Dora Akunyili, has created a portrait of Barack and Michelle Obama for the Obama Presidential Centre.
The commission places Akunyili-Crosby in rare company, bringing a distinctly Nigerian artistic voice into one of America's most prominent institutional spaces. Her work is widely known for layering photographic transfers with paint to explore identity, belonging, and the in-between spaces of African and Western life.
Her mother, Dora Akunyili, was one of Nigeria's most celebrated public servants, remembered for her fierce fight against counterfeit drugs during her tenure at NAFDAC. That legacy of impact clearly runs in the family.
Watch this space to see how the portrait is received when the Obama Presidential Centre opens its doors.
Originally published by Premium Times.