Naila Opiangah: From Gabon to the global art scene

Gabonese artist Naila Opiangah is gaining international recognition for her striking paintings of Black female nudes — works that challenge perceptions of identity, beauty and freedom.

Now based between Ghana and New York, the 31-year-old artist says her work is deeply personal, but also political.

Naila Opiangah describes her artistic practice as both personal and political.

“When asked how I see my work, whether it's personal, political, spiritual, or all of the above. Well, I see all of the above, but I would emphasise the fact that, I do find it political because, I think it's quite rebellious, given where I'm from, how I was raised, who I represent, the community that I'm part of,” the Gabonese artist said.

Her paintings, which blend figurative and abstract styles, explore themes of womanhood and question attitudes toward the naked body that she believes are rooted in colonial history. Among her admirers are singer Chance the Rapper and Hollywood stylist Law Roach, who showcased her work on one of fashion’s biggest stages — the Met Gala.

“My suit is in collaboration with a Ghanaian artist, Naila Opiangah. She flew to Paris from Ghana to paint and create her works on this suit, and I'm so grateful,” said Roach.

Opiangah left Gabon at 18 to study architecture in the United States before eventually turning a self-taught passion for painting into a full-time career. For her, success should not depend solely on recognition from Europe or North America.

“Yes, our work is recognised, celebrated, accessed by the West, but it's equally recognised, celebrated and accessed by our people. We need to have markets that are not just Western markets. We need to have markets that are local so that the development can be sustained,” she said.

As her work reaches global audiences, Opiangah hopes her journey will inspire more African women to pursue creative careers and seize opportunities that may once have seemed out of reach.