Linda Obobaifo “Fatigued Facade"

Linda Obobaifo “Fatigued Facade" 2023

Oil, Acrylic, Cotton, Linen, String, and Lace on Canvas
Dimensions: 48 x 60 in 
Unique
Signed on verso, includes a certificate of authenticity

Linda Obobaifo (b. 2000, Skokie, Illinois) is a Nigerian-American emerging artist, painter, sculptor, and poet living and working in Manhattan, NY. Linda attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she obtained her BFA in painting (2022) while minoring in creative writing with a poetry emphasis. She received her MFA in painting at Boston University (2024). Linda comes from a diverse background in musical theater, orchestra, band, choir, and dance. Linda has exhibited work in galleries and museums across Illinois, Missouri, Massachusetts, New York, and Canada. Linda has received various awards and grants including the Florence M. House Scholarship (2022), Hugh and Allie D. Hughston Enochs Memorial Award (2022), James R. and Dorothy E. Shipley Award (2022), Joan Coffey Scholarship in Painting (2021), and the American Academy of Poets Prize (2021). Linda holds interests in poetry, painting, sculpting, music, fashion, film, and photography. She is a published author of her poetry books “Mellifluous Critiques" and "Ariose: American Bone."

“My painting explores the roles of women and domesticity through identity and collective histories. Through the layering of material and images, I conceal and reveal information to address the effects of perception and memory, particularly when they become distorted over time. I am interested in how public and private spaces inform the way we portray ourselves and our identities. Lace is a material and symbol of femininity, which I incorporate into my work. I question its historical significance, and how its meaning has changed over time, as it was originally considered during the sixteenth century to represent absurd wealth due to its intricate labor. Today’s mass production of lace has allowed much greater access to its beauty. Lace evokes nostalgic memories of significant life-changing occasions, from celebrating a Christening or joyous wedding celebration to mourning and grieving the loss of a loved one. I am also interested in the formal properties of lace, particularly how it can simultaneously reveal and conceal the body. I use this as a metaphor explicitly in these paintings and sculptures for hiding, masking, and choosing to unveil some truths to the public eye while keeping the viewer out of reach. I create distance between the viewer and the artist through the materiality of the oil and acrylic paintings, using lace, chiffon, tulle, crystal organza, and plexiglass to show how memories can be distant and come in and out of view. Additionally, I explore ephemeral beauty while also questioning in what ways the lines of girlhood and womanhood blur, become intertwined, and even forced together. Each painting can be read as a form of poetry, which I pair with my writing. I pair my paintings alongside my poetry to create a dialogue of secrets being revealed between each piece. My poems and paintings have become a coded language, serving as both a boundary and blanket of protection.” - Linda Obobaifo