Over the course of two years, Nigerian-American artist Chidinma Dureke collected and considered everyday canned food items—each a familiar emblem of her Trans-Atlantic upbringing. These objects are mass-produced, mass-consumed, and eventually disposable. They are seemingly simple and mundane, yet provide a profoundly personalized lens through which Dureke asks a universal question: What is the value of the Black body?
 
From the history and legacy of American slavery to the continued exploitation of Blackness in today’s capitalistic culture, Shipped & Sold uses the motif of prepackaged goods to explore overarching themes of commodification and consumption. Drawing upon her own cross-cultural experience and identity, Dureke puts a fresh spin on the Pop Art aesthetic through a diverse selection of conversation-starting portraits and interactive sculptures.

Over the month of December 2020, I decided to paint 1 portrait a day during the COVID-19 lockdown. Every portrait painting, 1-30 was completed in 30 days for the #30paintingsin30days art challenge. 

The first-generation experiences are unique and alone in their struggles and perspectives. Nigerian-American - far off or apart in space; not near at hand; remote or removed from the culture: a distant place; my maternal mother's town, miles distant from here. apart or far off in time: distant centuries past.

Critiquing beauty standards and the culture of hair and beauty in the darkness. How do we internalize the beauty structures that we did not make? 

Documenting my work is a major part of my artistic process. Along the way filming my work  has evolved to a form of journaling, storytelling and an extension of my paintings.