Akwi Nji

Akwi Nji's layered abstractions function as visual poetry and imagined landscapes of our earth + bodies.

Themes of connection and communication are laced throughout her abstract works. Since she was a child she has been curious about methods of communication -- and the impact of new technologies on human connection. With a professional background in arts administration, education, and executive level communications strategy, her paintings reflect a lifelong exploration of the power of communication and the language of art.

Equally prevalent in her work are themes of geography; connection; and a search for place, belonging, and a sense of home. She's interested in how human connection is constructed, transmitted, fractured, and rediscovered across time, culture, and space.

Her work has been exhibited and collected across the United States and with a growing international collector community. She was the recipient of the Iowa Arts Council Fellowship (2106) and the Governor’s Award for Emerging Arts Leadership (2025). Her multidisciplinary projects have been funded in part by the Iowa Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Public Space 1 in partnership with the Warhol Foundation.

She works in two primary styles -...

BA University of Iowa, MFA Savannah College of Art and Design