ARTIST ON POINT
YOU South Africa|30 December 2021
Her life-size artworks are rendered with a simple ballpoint pen – and the world is sitting up and taking notice
ROBYN LUCAS
ARTIST ON POINT

SHE’S always had a knack for art. From the moment she could hold a crayon in her tiny hand, she would draw on the paper her mother always had on hand for her.

As she grew older she realised art was the passion she wanted to pursue – and so she did, with a set of ballpoint pens in her talented fingers.

Jacqueline Suowari’s breathtaking body of work has been described as exciting, sublime and vibrant by critics and has made her one of her native Nigeria’s most successful artists.

She’s had solo exhibitions in New York and Miami and recently launched her first touring exhibition, Now I Wear Myself, in Nigeria with the aim of destigmatising topics such as mental health which is taboo in the West African country.

Abuja, the Nigerian city she lives in, has high suicide rates, Jacqueline (31) says, chatting to YOU from her studio. “My work talks about the fake-care culture happening in our generation. If someone asks how you’re doing they’re not interested in the answer.”

Her art – which is all created with ballpoint pen and is often life-size – is about “looking for those vulnerable expressions” in the faces of the people who pose for her.

One of her favourite paintings is of her friend, Sade. “She looks like a very stylish young lady but her eyes are sad and I used that as a metaphor for mental health and the struggles people face.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der 30 December 2021-Ausgabe von YOU South Africa.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der 30 December 2021-Ausgabe von YOU South Africa.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS YOU SOUTH AFRICAAlle anzeigen
BALLON IN THE BAG
YOU South Africa

BALLON IN THE BAG

Manchester City midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante says his Ballon d'Or win is a victory for Spanish football

time-read
4 Minuten  |
14 November 2024
IT WAS ALL A LIE
YOU South Africa

IT WAS ALL A LIE

A new doccie exposes the Grey's Anatomy writer who fabricated her life story

time-read
5 Minuten  |
14 November 2024
'I WILL NEVER GIVE UP'
YOU South Africa

'I WILL NEVER GIVE UP'

After her husband, anticorruption activist Alexei Navalny, was poisoned and murdered by the Kremlin, she became the public face of Russia's opposition. In this candid interview Yulia Navalnaya opens up about life on the run, her perilous family life and why she's continuing her husband's fight to save their country

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
14 November 2024
AGREE TO DISAGREE
YOU South Africa

AGREE TO DISAGREE

Trevor Noah on how his childhood squabbles with his mother inspired his delightful new book

time-read
4 Minuten  |
14 November 2024
PAUSE THE CLOCK
YOU South Africa

PAUSE THE CLOCK

Researchers have discovered that the ageing process spikes at 44 and 60. Here's what you can do to slow it down

time-read
5 Minuten  |
14 November 2024
MPOOMY ON TOP
YOU South Africa

MPOOMY ON TOP

We chat to SA's most popular female podcaster about love, loss and her booming success

time-read
4 Minuten  |
14 November 2024
MY BROTHER IS NOT TO BLAME
YOU South Africa

MY BROTHER IS NOT TO BLAME

Tinus Drotské says his sibling, ex Bok Nǎka, is the victim in the brawl with a neighbour that landed up in court

time-read
4 Minuten  |
14 November 2024
MATT THE RECLUSE
YOU South Africa

MATT THE RECLUSE

A year after his friend's tragic death, the actor continues to shun the spotlight

time-read
4 Minuten  |
14 November 2024
A LEAP OF FAITH
YOU South Africa

A LEAP OF FAITH

After her husband tried to kill her by tampering with her parachute she thought she'd never trust a man again-but now she's found love

time-read
5 Minuten  |
14 November 2024
THEY'RE MY KIDS!
YOU South Africa

THEY'RE MY KIDS!

This West Coast woman treats her monkeys as iftheyre humans and animal activists are not happy about it

time-read
4 Minuten  |
14 November 2024