![Chiamonwu Joy](https://images.ctfassets.net/adaoj5ok2j3t/3ffCZ3JAvek00YKgSoYaA0/e667ee90bac3b0b0df34a8d9df4d1c61/chiamonwu_feed.jpg?fm=webp&w=3000&q=75)
![Cover Image - Chiamonwu Joy](https://images.ctfassets.net/adaoj5ok2j3t/RkwVqGaVGwSUakoi6kGec/66ba60dfc706d4ab3cc97992fa31d28e/ChiamonwuJoy-TOP.jpg?fm=webp&w=3000&q=75)
The strikingly hyper-real drawings of Nigerian artist Chiamonwu Joy could easily be mistaken for photographs; each takes between three weeks to two months, and an endless supply of patience, to complete using graphite and charcoal. Many depict a family member or friend: “I decide who and what to draw next depending on how physically, emotionally, spiritually and psychologically attracted I am to the subject or object.” But her focus extends far wider. Raised in Maiduguri in the northern part of Nigeria, before moving down to Awka in the south-east, she’s dedicated to recording and preserving her Igbo culture.
Stories with Chiamonwu Joy
![Chiamonwu Joy](https://images.ctfassets.net/adaoj5ok2j3t/3ffCZ3JAvek00YKgSoYaA0/e667ee90bac3b0b0df34a8d9df4d1c61/chiamonwu_feed.jpg?fm=webp&w=3000&q=75)