There is a fierce quiet to the works of Collins Obijiaku, as if the works have been unearthed from prior centuries and aged to perfection. His brushstrokes are bare and bold, his subjects staring directly at you or just off to the side, with earth tones and simple wardrobes. Unexpected Sittings, now on view at Roberts Projects in LA, is the perfect amalgamation of all the skills the Nigeria painter, as he celebrates his inaugural exhibition with the gallery. 

"There is an unlimited wealth of ideas that are bound within the fabrics of chance conversations or interactions that unfold and progress naturally," Collins says of his new body of work. "And many of these ideas, or fresh perspectives, carry the potential to nudge us, as [either] individuals and groups, into the path of positive change."

The gallery mentions a topographical element to these works, and it's spot-on: the artist is working on space and place, moving us through an emotion and a landscape in each portrait. —Evan Pricco