Swedish-born, Los Angeles-based artist Rugiyatou Jallow frequently centers her compositions on a single female figure and subsequently engages with pervasive ideas around the representation of women. The artist hails from a matrilineal line of artists, as Jallow’s mother and grandmother were both painters, and passed the love of the medium on to her. She studied computer animation at Glendale College in Los Angeles and the influence of this background can be seen in her graphic line work and dynamic approach to composition.
Jallow’s solo exhibition with Albertz Benda will showcase new works that continue her investigation into depictions of women like her, who identify with more than one race and have difficulty fitting into either community. The recent works also mark an evolution in the artist’s practice by way of technique. In her earlier work she was preoccupied with focusing on her figure’s hands; here, she draws focus on the figure’s gaze, lending them a sense of autonomy and authority.