Nigerian-born artist Ugonna Hosten has a knack for the human mind. She studied criminology, which left an inquisitive mark on her artistic practice that blends fine art drawing, collage and printmaking techniques. She’s drawn to the realm of the collective unconscious and how this relates to personal experiences and memory. In The Departure (2025), we find precision and deep sensitivity. The drawing overlays several snapshots of the same day, Hosten’s father’s funeral in their Nigerian home village. Here, we unveil grief, absence and the juxtaposition of traditional beliefs with Christian symbols. The mother’s hair is ceremonially cut among a group of women who will help her navigate this transition from wife to widow. Images are superimposed like double exposure rolls (Hosten revisited the photos taken that day and a decade after the funeral), and they convey the strength of personal archives in understanding the comings and goings of our lives.
