The Woman Who Collages Houston — Kaima Marie Akarue Defies Convention and Showcases Black Womanhood With Bold Art
Forget Everything You Learned About Torn Paper Creations
BY Ericka Schiche // 10.25.24Kaima Marie Akarue stands before her 2024 paper collage "All this space." Her exhibit "From Federal to Hopetown" is on display at The Anderson Center for the Arts through December 15, 2024. (Photo by @tyevisuals. Courtesy Who's Who)
Artists frequently shift their focus across mediums, and native Houstonian Kaima Marie Akarue is no exception. Early in her career, she created paintings often adorned with shards of glass. Since 2022, however, Akarue has been intrigued by the intricate and ever-evolving challenges of collage making.
This shift is evident in her thought-provoking subject matter and iconic imagery, displayed in two current Houston exhibits: From Federal to Hopetown at The Anderson Center for the Arts (showing through December 15) and For The Record at the Art Is Bond gallery (running through November 2).

In her collage work, Akarue arranges pieces of paper into large-scale, asymmetrical silhouettes. These are more complex than standard geometric shapes. Each piece exists in its own self-contained, visual world, defined by the unique characters who populate it. No two collages share the same shape or structure. Each artwork stands apart.
Akarue has paved her own path as a 21st century collagist, liberated from the Eurocentric 20th century art historical gaze. She deliberately rejects the typical rectangular and square collage forms. Instead, her work highlights Black women, similar to those seen in the collages of Lorna Simpson or Mickalene Thomas.
These women exude agency and style. Their vibrant personalities take center stage.

Love Letters to Houston’s East Side
The pieces in From Federal to Hopetown at The Anderson Center for the Arts tell stories rooted in personal history and lived experiences. Some venture into the surreal.
“When I began this project, I intended to explore my personal identity, reconnect with my childhood and find patterns,” Akarue notes. “What emerged was a theme of migration. I also became fascinated with memory’s illusion and my desire to delve into it.”

Several collages are visual love letters to Houston’s East Side. Only the finest this side of the Interstate (2024) features prominent I-10 East signs and landmarks. Other works offer glimpses of places on the East Side unknown to many Houstonians. Intersections like Hopetown and Lourdes are especially meaningful to Akarue but unfamiliar to people living farther west.
“The exhibition is a full circle moment for me,” Akarue says. “The Anderson Center is between the two streets where I grew up: Federal Road and Hopetown. The work reflects moments from each.”
The Black women, men and children in Akarue’s work feel both familiar and mysterious. They exist in intricate, evocative settings, as seen in Wait until it boils over (2024) and Mama said don’t play in the house (2023).

Historic Houston Landmarks
Akarue’s solo exhibit For The Record at Art Is Bond also explores life’s complexities and the passage of time. Her collages move into a post-metanarrative, post-monoculture space where personal history and collective memory blend. Houston’s sprawling metropolis and its landmarks, both past and present, play a central role.

While From Federal to Hopetown zooms in on the East Side, For the Record takes a broader perspective. It includes historic neighborhoods like Freedmen’s Town and Third Ward. Some pieces evoke nostalgia and personal memory, especially for Houstonians. Beyoncé had one of the best albums of all time (2023) celebrates slab culture and the Astrodome. In Can you help me find my dad? (2024), Akarue references AstroWorld’s beloved rollercoasters, including the Texas Cyclone, Greezed Lightnin’ and Viper. Her father’s impressive record collection also features prominently in For the record (2024).
Akarue’s overall message is clear: Collage is a dynamic, evolving medium. Through it, powerful personal stories are told.
Kaima Marie Akarue’s “From Federal to Hopetown” is on view at The Anderson Center for the Arts through December 15. Learn more here. Her solo collage show “For the Record” runs at Art Is Bond until November 2. Learn more here.