Paintings by Baltimore-based artist Monica Ikegwu (previously featured here). Focusing on the perception of individual people — both the ways in which we view others and the ways they wish to appear to us — Ikegwu highlights the different attitudes of African American people as well as the trends they follow in terms of their appearance:

“When people observe the work, I want them to try and figure out who the person is. Not only that, but for others to recognize that people can reveal themselves through their outward appearances and that their identity can sometimes exist there. I aim to produce work that is a culmination of people, not as subjects to paint, but as people with their own sense of self.”

See more images below!