Anthony Nsofor gets to his studio at the Torpedo Factory Arts Center around 11 a.m. and will work through 6 p.m., sometimes later, using oil, acrylic, and charcoal on canvases to explore themes of race and belonging. His space, the size of an average college dorm room, boasts dozens of paintings on the walls and easels, just a fraction of the more than 50 paintings and 80 drawings he says he’s completed in the studio since he moved in a year ago.
Throughout the day, visitors poke their heads in to observe Nsofor work, ask questions, and — the jackpot — purchase Nigeria-born painter’s creations. Around 1 p.m., a couple from Toronto stops in to ask about his practice and discuss their recent travels. The visitors who pass by trigger something creative inside Nsofor: “I’m like a vampire,” he says. “I feed off people’s energy.”
Some artists would balk at the thought of strangers disturbing their creative process, but Nsofor says it just comes with the job. In fact, an artist’s ability to engage with the public is part of the new criteria for landing a studio at this Alexandria city government-owned arts center, which houses more than 160 artist studios and remains one of the largest collections of publicly accessible studios in the country.
And while Nsofor describes himself in vampiric terms, he is also fresh blood — part of a new wave of artists who’ve arrived at the factory in the past year following changes in the studio selection process. It’s one of many changes the...
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