About Inyang Essien

Inyang Essien is a Nigerian-American artist based out of Dallas, who works with photography and digital media. Through these mediums her work dissects themes of ethnicity, identity, and sexuality, emphasizing stories of marginalized cultures in order to amplify their often-overlooked perspectives and celebrate their backgrounds.

Essien has presented in various solo and group exhibitions since 2019. Select solo exhibitions include: Sacred Seeds, South Dallas Cultural Center (2022); and Idet, Dallas Public Library (2021). Select group exhibitions include Carroll Harris Simms National Black Art Competition and Exhibition, African American Museum, Dallas (2023); Culture of Hair, Colorado Photographic Arts Center, Denver (2022); and Black Artists in Their Own Realm, Calabar Gallery, New York (2021).

Essien is the recipient of the Nasher Artist Grant (2021) and was a finalist in the Boynes Emerging Artist Competition (2021), and the Photoville The Fence traveling public art exhibition (2020).