Quote

I've always felt the portrait is an occasion for marks to happen. I've never viewed the portrait as about the sitter. Even when I go to the National Portrait Gallery, I'm not thinking about the sitter I'm thinking about how the artist chose that color or that highlight. It becomes about the time, place, and context.

Toyin Odutola

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Toyin Odutola
Age: 54
Artist
Drawer
Painter
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Toyin Ojih Odutola
Time
Happen
Occasion
Sitter
Thinking
Artist
Chose
Highlight
Felt
Context
Highlights
Place
Occasions
Portrait
Happens
Mark
Viewed
Even
National
Gallery
Always
Color
Marks
Never
Becomes
Portraits

More quotes by Toyin Odutola

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The graphic style itself is influenced by a lot of very layered and detailed comics that I read as a kid, like Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue.
Toyin Odutola
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It is hard to produce work in New York. You kind of have to center yourself - do some Zen meditation exercises and just focus. It is very distracting, and money, of course, is an issue.
Toyin Odutola
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I dont think about race before I start drawing. I think about how to make that mark to fit whatever purpose I need it to fulfill.
Toyin Odutola
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Being a black artist, the first thing people want to talk about is your blackness, the importance of your blackness and your black presence.
Toyin Odutola
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For a while, I was nervous about portraying women because of the objectification that automatically comes with it, whether the artist intends or not.
Toyin Odutola
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I kept wanting to push my image as validity I wanted to see my portrait on a wall and know it was okay.
Toyin Odutola
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Kerry James Marshall especially was a huge influence on me in graduate school, as were Wangechi Mutu and Julie Mehretu. These artists are titans. My education was also very much in comic books, so I've been going to comic book events in New York and have met a few artists there.
Toyin Odutola