2024 Holidays Gift Guide - Interview with Chi Nwosu

Chi joined Buddy's line up of artists earlier this year, and we're so excited to brag about her already. She was able to fit us into her very busy schedule and tell us a little about Chi's world.

Kimberly Kim: Hi! Please introduce yourself. Who are you? What do you identify as? And who/what are you inspired by? Tell us a little about your lineage as an artist.

Chi Nwosu: Hi! I'm Chi Nwosu (like 'chee whoa-sue'). My full first name is Chinyere, and while I don't use it often, it's important for me to name myself. I am an artist, a worldbuilder, a lover of beauty, and a student of liberation. I identify as a Black, Nigerian immigrant, queer, and nonbinary being of wonder. I stand as both an occupier of stolen land and an Indigenous person rediscovering my homeland. My artistic lineage is rooted in the Igbo women of Nigeria who practiced Uli art. I carry forward the vision of my ancestors, both by blood and through resistance — those who paved the way for me to transmute feelings and connections into art. My work draws deep inspiration from the Earth and its lessons on interconnection. I see myself as a vessel, planting seeds for the world we can create together.

K: And perhaps you could also share what led you to your current journey?

C: It's been a winding journey, and sometimes I can't believe I'm here! I've always been drawn to creating, but I didn’t take it seriously until after college. I taught myself graphic design, ran small businesses, and eventually landed full-time in-house creative roles. The leap into full-time practice came after I was laid off from what I thought was my 'dream' job in the industry, which also aligned with my continued political radicalization. My path has been shaped by confronting the questions I feared most: What if I got sober? What if I centered love? What if I practiced self-forgiveness? What if tenderness became a way of life? What if I truly believed another world is possible—what would I build then?

K: Your work is incredibly hopeful and inspiring in spite of the topics you discuss in your work. How do you manage? Where do you derive your powerful optimism from? lol I love your work because it reminds me to seek beauty and find solace in community in this insane, dystopian time!

C: Oh my lanta! Thank you for reflecting on what my work inspires in you! It’s a roller coaster—staying present in my body and choosing to connect with everything around me. It’s messy, and sometimes the grief feels unbearably heavy. But just as grief is a birthright, so is joy. I’m grateful to be here, knowing so many didn’t make it.
I recently had an ancestral download: heaven and hell aren’t elsewhere—they’re here. We’re taught to create and replicate the conditions that either honor or destroy life. Humans—and our non-human kin—have this incredible gift of life on a planet that will care for us if we care for each other and her. That truth moves me deeply. How can I show up to receive this gift and help others feel it too? Can we practice gentleness, reciprocity, and curiosity toward all life? These times are terrifying. I cry SO much, but I also pay attention to the joy and beauty around me. Mariame Kaba says, 'Hope is a discipline,' and I practice that every day. Enslaved people fought for freedoms they couldn’t see in their lifetimes, but they still believed in what was possible. That legacy of fighting for a better world nourishes me and fuels my fire.

K: Anything in the future you’re excited about? Anything you’d like to share anything upcoming?PLEASE self-promote. We wanna know what you're up to!

C: Y'all! I’ve been working on a mural at Garfield Park Conservatory in collaboration with Good Things Vending, and I’m so excited to share it. The piece is really special to me—it’s titled A Place To Grow Our Souls and is dedicated to the child in all of us and the power of imagination. It’s inspired by Grace Lee Boggs’ teaching, 'Art can help us envision the new cultural images we need to grow our souls.' I wanted to create something that invites folks to dream, to remember the wonder we felt as children—and recognize that we can access that whenever we choose to call it in. It’s also a reflection on how that spirit of interconnection can guide us in shaping the future.