Anwuli Chukwumah chases indigo

By Angelica Hernandez     3/11/25 10:40pm

Anwuli Chukwumah says her creative process is like scratching an itch. A double major in studio art and architecture, the Martel College senior creates with a wide variety of materials, including found objects, ceramics and drawings, often tied together by a distinctive shade of indigo blue.

Although born in the U.S., Chukwumah spent most of her childhood in Lagos, Nigeria: “Back home, there is this fabric we have called adire, a traditional Yoruba fabric. It’s this lovely, very rich, deep shade of blue that I’ve loved since I was around 15,” Chukwumah said. “I am obsessed with it. It’s everywhere.” 

Chukwumah said she came to Rice with the intention of solely studying architecture, only picking up the art major after one of her professors recommended it. As she reflected on how her academics have shaped her art, Chukwumah said her knowledge of architecture informs how she creates. 

---

---

“Especially in my installation work, I’m very concerned with the occupation of space and how people interact with space,” Chukwumah said.

As Chukwumah nears the end of her senior year, she is working towards end-of-semester projects for both architecture and her final studio art showcase. 

As she brings together her final showcase, Chukwumah said she’s incorporating symbols and tools that she’s used in her past work at Rice, such as cast cowrie shells. 

“I used them in this memorial piece for the Biafran War, [which] occurred in Nigeria between the years 1967 and 1970. I’d cast them in indigo blue and strung them up from a tree as a sort of memorial artwork,” Chukwumah said. “Somebody, over the course of interacting with it, had mentioned that it was evocative of strange fruit, which was honestly such a brilliant reading of it … So I’m now producing cowrie shells that have bite marks in them.”

Showcase preparation has also encouraged Chukwumah to reflect on what she wants people to take away from her art, she said. Her past and current work has grappled with social and racial justice.

“Right now, I’m working on a project that’s documenting social movements. We’ll see predominantly anti-Black social movements through the lens of social media using architectural forensic methods,” Chukwumah said.

Reflecting on her interactions with the art community at Rice, Chukwumah said she would like more students, even outside the art department, to connect with Rice’s art scene. 

“I deeply encourage people to tap into the art department as a resource. The faculty is absolutely amazing and such a great resource. The amount of art-related things that happen at Rice’s campus that most people don’t know about is crazy to me,” Chukwumah said. “I would encourage people to tap into that sphere more.”

---