Title: Ina Son Ta
Year: 2021
Size: 20by30 inches framing
Technique: Digital media

Description
Ina Son Ta in the Hausa language simply means I like her. To me, as an artist, admission of ad-miration is the first step to allowing ourselves relationships that will hopefully flourish. The vul-nerability in those words is feared by governments who do not know what it is to love uncondi-tionally. My art as I have always stood by is inspired by the reclaiming of a woman’s sexuality in Nigeria. As a Nigerian, the government has proclaimed a law that forbids any cohabitation be-tween same-sex sexual partners and bans any “public show of same sex amorous relationship. The government imposes a 10-year prison sentence on anyone who registers, operates or par-ticipates in gay clubs, societies and organization” or “supports” the activities of such organiza-tions. Punishments are severe, ranging from 10 to 14 years in prison. This is done all because someone admission of the words ‘Ina Son Ta’. It is from these words my inspiration for this piece comes from. The portrait is of a Black skinned woman, with a brown scarf tied around her hair, and a red lipstick. However, it is blatantly clear she is nude. Her breasts and stomach are exposed. I can only describe what is in this digital drawing. The image is self is open to inter-pretation. However, as an artist is important during the process of creating, I interjected things that can be interpreted in various ways. Her nakedness, the purple veil, her sitting position, and the glowing pearls. All these choices I made to the woman in the portrait has been deliberately done, to disgrace the need to control women to suit the male gaze in theNigeria. Reclaiming is not hiding a part of women in Nigeria.