Ify Chiejina

Ifeatuanya ‘Ify’ Chiejina is a process-based visual artist born and raised in Queens. Chiejina is an American artist of Nigerian descent with ideas, thoughts, and truths that are rooted and reflective of different customs and traditions. She considers the tensions and complexities that come with being brought up in an Igbo household in western society. Her artistic practice transforms drawing, painting, collage, and pattern design into ever-developing narratives about family, heritage, transformation, self-discovery, and identity. This multifaceted creative practice is instrumental in developing her distinctive and symbolic approach to portraiture.

“I love the idea of being able to change a piece and I’m constantly thinking about how it's going to grow and change afterward.” - Ify Chiejina about exploring printmaking. 

With a background in philosophy, Chiejina’s artwork expresses the importance of self-discovery and how engaging in this work can come with unpacking individual and generational trauma. This exploration of self is often symbolized in her fascination with patterns. The irregularities in lines and shapes can be seen as embodiments of the significance of identifying the self with feelings and thoughts. Patterns embellish the figures she depicts, often seen decorating the clothing or background and signifying natural elements such as snakes and eyes. 

Chiejina is Raven Editions' first artist in residence in almost three years. The print is based on two pieces within her series of works entitled That Thing Around My Neck. She intuitively layers narratives into her figurative pieces, expressing emotions and feelings, distorting characters, and traversing the space between memories. In the studio, Chiejina experiments with collage elements such as burlap, mesh, mod podge, and other 'untraditional materials,' constructing tactile narratives, pulling inspiration from her parents' photo albums, and exploring the essence of self captured in them.

Chiejina has a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Queens College, and completed a certificate program from the Caribbean Cultural Center of African Diaspora Institute’s Community Arts University Without Walls. She has participated in residencies at Chashama’s Artist Incubator, Raven Fine Art Editions, Banana Factory Arts Center, Chashama North, Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, and Snug Harbor Cultural Center. Chiejina has showcased her art in group shows for SMO Contemporary Art in Nigeria, Prizm Art Fair in Miami, and Penn State Lehigh Valley. She had her first solo exhibition at the Banko Gallery, Banana Factory Arts Center in Bethlehem Pennsylvania. Chiejina’s paintings are in the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection, and she has also completed cover art for the Criterion Collection. Chiejina is a recipient of the Queens Council on the Arts’ Queens Art Fund, Puffin Foundation Grant, Arts Grant for Queens, and the City Artist Corps Grant.

READ MORE: THAT THING AROUND MY NECK 2, METAMORPHOSIS

Her first major print project, That Thing Around My Neck 2, Metamorphosis, is an artist’s story of connecting generational histories, understanding her mental health, and exploring identity. The work itself is covered in gestures embodying this labor of understanding oneself. Using herself as the central subject, she constructs an image that allows audiences to engage and experience the catharsis of art. The somber portrait is Chiejina’s reaction to her first experience with hospitalization for her mental health. 

“Getting to recreate this piece as a print,” Chiejina tells us, “working with others, and sharing that story, has transformed it into something collaborative and therapeutic almost. 

RESIDENT ARTIST IFY CHIEJINA ON THE INTRICACIES OF HER FIGURATIVE COMPOSITIONS (Q&A)

Ifeatuanya ‘Ify’ Chiejina is Raven Editions’ first artist-in-residence in almost three years. With her background in philosophy, Chiejina’s artwork expresses the importance of self-discovery and how engaging in this work can come with unpacking individual and generational trauma. This exploration of self is often symbolized in her fascination with patterns. The irregularities in lines and shapes can be seen as embodiments of the significance of identifying the self with feelings and thoughts. Patterns embellish the figures she depicts, often seen decorating the clothing or background and signifying natural elements such as snakes and eyes.

“Creating portraits and figurative pieces is my way of indicating the importance of knowing thy self.” - Ify Chiejina.