Portrait by Patricia Li

born 2003 in Houston, Texas
lives and works in Brooklyn, New York
(she/her/hers)

Onajevwe is a multidisciplinary visual artist working primarily in sculptural collage. Her practice interrogates Black diasporic life through the evocative geography of her upbringing across Abuja, Nigeria, and London, England. Living and working in Brooklyn, New York, she grounds her work in domestic sensibilities, fascinated by the tension between private and public space, specifically what these realms mean in relation to Blackness. For Onajevwe, the home operates as a sacred sanctuary where Blackness is expressed beyond societal constraints; her practice publicly brings this intimate sanctuary into space, exploring Black freedom and agency.

Raised Catholic, she draws from Catholic religious iconography, reflecting its pervasive presence in post-colonial Nigeria. Underlying her practice is the recurring presence of the number four, functioning as both structural anchor and metaphorical binoculars through which she interprets the world. As one of four children, she understands the number as a symbol of protection, as well as a guiding star illuminating pivotal life moments. Ancestral presence permeates this process; her ancestors act as the pulse between her eyes and the silent force guiding materials across each surface, invited to dance within the fissure of creation.