Pregnant
Toyin Ojih Odutola, Nigerian (works in New York City), born 1985
2017
Charcoal, pastel and graphite on paper
Sheet: 74 1/2 × 42 in. (189.2 × 106.7 cm)
Frame: 2 1/2 × 48 × 79 in. (6.4 × 121.9 × 200.7 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through the Florence and Lansing Porter Moore 1937 Fund
2018.8
Geography
Place Made: Nigeria, Western Africa, Africa
Period
21st century
Object Name
Drawing
Research Area
Africa
Drawing
On view
Label
The elegantly poised woman in Pregnant is part of Toyin Ojih Odutola’s series that imagines a Nigerian family in a parallel universe where racism and colonialism never existed. Intricate details—manicured nails, a chic domestic interior, matching blue gems and gold jewelry—represent luxury and prestige. Although she is not visibly pregnant, the title alludes to the sense of a growing family and distinct lineage.
From the 2023 exhibition Homecoming: Domesticity and Kinship in Global African Art, curated by Alexandra Thomas, Curatorial Research Associate
Course History
ENGL 53.10, Immigrant Women Writing in America, Melissa Zeiger, summer 2018
AAAS 88.17, ANTH 50.21, Filmmaking and Visual Culture, Jesse Shipley, Summer 2018
HIST 66/AAAS 15, History of Africa Since 1800, Naaborko Sackeyfio-Lenoch, Winter 2021
GEOG 72.01/AAAS 67.50/WGSS 66.09, Black Consciousness Black Feminism, Abby Neely, Spring 2022
HIST 5.08/AAAS 19, Africa and the World, Naaborko Sackeyfio-Lenoch, Summer 2022
HIST 5.08/AAAS 19, Africa and the World, Naaborko Sackeyfio-Lenoch, Summer 2022
HIST 5.08/AAAS 19, Africa and the World, Naaborko Sackeyfio-Lenoch, Summer 2022
SART 20/SART 71, Drawing II/Drawing III, Jack Wilson, Fall 2022
Exhibition History
Homecoming: Domesticity and Kinship in Global African Art, Harteveldt Family Gallery, Owen Robertson Cheatham Gallery, and Northeast Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, July 22, 2023–May 25, 2024.
Toyin Ojih Odutola: The Firmament, Hood Downtown, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 8–September 2, 2018.
Toyin Ojih Odutola: To Wander Determined, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New YOrk, October 20, 2017-February 25, 2018.
Provenance
Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, New York; sold to present collection, 2018.
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