Karen Gager: Interview — Unclear Magazine

BY GABRIELLE WOJKOVICH

Born of Sierra Leonian and English heritage and raised in the West African nation of Nigeria, artist Karen Gager is the physical embodiment of “third culture.” Each of the countries she’s called home and every culture in which she’s embedded herself throughout her life have shaped her understanding of global perspectives and have molded her own self-image as an artist.

Today, Gager resides in Nigeria — the same country where her story began 25 years ago, when her English father and Nigerian mother met at university. From the very beginning, both Gager and her older sister were no strangers to the biases and discriminations that plagued their African home.

“Being in Nigeria meant I was cast as white,” says Gager. “I was ‘oyibo,’ or ‘white girl,’ to anyone there.”

Gager’s confusing social identity followed her from Nigeria to the UK, where she was sent to boarding school at the age of twelve. Here, though less an outcast for her biracial appearance, she was nonetheless ridiculed for her foreign Nigerian accent — to the extent that her young peers would direct “clicking sounds” her way in passing.

“Within a week, that very first week, my accent changed,” recalls Gager. “I made sure my already-existing British accent was perfectly posh. Then, when I went back to Nigeria, I had to become ‘bush’ again. I had to sound like the locals, as if I had never left, in order to fit in.”

Though a young school-aged child should never have to actively transform their own identity to avoid the isolation of otherness, such realities are emblematic of the social acceptance issues that continue to plague our societies — westernized or not. Gager developed her chameleonism out of necessity, establishing a balancing act between two contrasting worlds. As time went on, it was this metamorphic skillset — this constant push-and-pull between her African and Western heritages — that drove Gager to take her first steps into the world of art.

When school projects would arise in England, Gager would — at first by the recommendation of her father — utilize her unique Nigerian perspectives to stand out amongst her European-raised classmates. She would borrow “bits and bobs” from her Nigerian homeland and identity — pictures, sketches, leaves, flowers, bark — to be used as the starting point for her art projects in the UK.

Her work spoke for itself (as it still does), wordlessly articulating the many different aspects of West African life: the landscape, the flora, the tribal traditions, the fashion, the people, the languages. Now, Gager realizes that her work — besides allowing her to excel in the classroom — brought an understanding to her western peers about a world they had never known. Certainly that trend has not stopped, as every piece of Gager’s work that reaches her Western audiences continues to bestow ignorant minds with new perspectives.

Yet, despite the positive social impact of her work, Gager’s own internal desire to continue her artistic pursuits have much more to do with her own personal relationship with her projects.

“In high school, I was in an emotionally manipulative relationship and those times really taught me a lot about myself and not being so naive,” says Gager. “Art became a cathartic outlet. Coming out of that relationship, I learned a lot about how to keep on going.

Then, in my final year of university... I just felt depressed and really not okay mentally. I had friends but I felt alone. I had a boyfriend I felt unhappy and sad with. I did love him a lot, but I did not understand why surrounded by people, I felt so alone.”

It was Gager’s art that would help her finally face the difficulties she was experiencing. Not only did her projects present an outlet to focus and transform her negative energies, but they also allowed her to reach a new personal relationship with herself. Gager admits that some of her best works were also some of the most difficult pieces to finish, requiring her to dig deep into her inner self, exerting onto the canvas the physical manifestation of her darkest days.

“Those projects, though terrible at the time, made me realize that I really like what I am doing; I really like the concepts I work with. They made me ask myself: ‘Is it worth it? Should I be doing this?’ These were pivotal times. And they made me so much stronger.”

Today, Gager continues to create art in Abuja, alongside her day-to-day work as a teacher at the American International School there. Though much of her time to focus on art is now taken up by lessons, grading, and organizing school events, Gager finds that her divided professional and private lives — much like her split-identity in childhood — don’t necessarily need to compete against one another.

In the classroom, Gager realizes she’s in the unique position of sharing her own difficult experiences with her students — many of whom can directly relate to that same conflict she harbored as a child.

“I can see the change in my students from year to year in their perceptions of art and it's so rewarding,” says Gager. “I can see it with my older students that something positive is happening. That means, if I have some kids long enough, there will be a change.”

And while Gager finds teaching rewarding in its own way, it’s a career path she admits to falling into by sheer circumstance, and she doubts the idea of its permanence in her life. At the same time, she is still able to follow her creative pursuits, just in a more time-restrictive manner: this past year, she hosted her own exhibition in the capital city of Abuja, titled Womanish — a set of body prints and photographs taking a closer look at the non-western perception of female beauty.

Unfortunately, Womanish wasn’t exactly an overnight success. Gager partially chalks up the less-than-desirable turnout to the cultural constraints and understandings (or lack thereof) in a country like Nigeria. However, Gager also understands the vital role that her dedication of time to developing her vision and skills can play within the perceived success of such an event. Thus, Gager feels that she will eventually move on from teaching, down a more art-focused career path. But no matter the roads chosen or the route taken, Gager is committed to always being honest with herself and her talents. She remains driven to continually open the eyes of her audiences to a clearer understanding of the world around them through her own learning and expression of her unique identity.