Biography

Surrounded by his sculptures and paintings on wood growing up, Atiba Azikiwe Andrews developed an interest for painting on found wood. In his youth, following an honors art program at Albert Einstein High School in Maryland, he attended the acclaimed California College of Arts (CCA) in Oakland, CA, where he studied under the respected African American artist Raymond Saunders. Consistently reminded of his late father throughout his artistic journey, Azikiwe continued to find power in black artists' voices to guide his path. While based in LA, he was engaged in an apprenticeship to artist Henry Taylor, who exposed him to fine arts and influenced him to find his artistic identity. Azikiwe explored the link between tradition and the present and generated a body of intricate multidimensional work with layered storylines of faces and places. Preserving the emblematic compositions of the female form portrayed in acrylic since his early days, Azikiwe's ongoing production extols the female figure as a contemporary goddess. 

His captivating works on found wood serve as canvases for intricate narratives, exploring the complexities of American existence. From Brooklyn to his current Oakland studio, Andrews continues to captivate with his unique aesthetic—a brilliant fusion of tradition and modernity that pulses with cultural commentary and artistic innovation.