BUTTER 2025 | KAIMA MARIE AKARUE

Kaima Marie Akarue (Houston, TX) is the daughter of a Nigerian immigrant and a white mother. Kaima explores identity through collage, focusing on urbanism, capitalism, and erased narratives. Kaima constructs layered environments that challenge viewers to reflect on identity, memory, and the spaces we inhabit and often overlook. Her work preserves personal and collective histories, reimagining memory and place. She has exhibited nationally at institutions like the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, earning accolades such as the 2024 Jones Artist Award and the Carol Crow Fellowship. Her work is part of private and institutional collections, including the MFAH, the Guess Lawson’s, and the Carter Knowles Collection. She holds a masters in education and received her second masters in fine arts from the University of Houston in Spring 2025.