OOF Books is pleased to present a collection of paintings by Oroma Elewa inspired by stories in her recently published performance primer Crushed Guava Leaves. Using the medium of text and crafted specifically to inspire performance, the artist wove an evocative tapestry of memories, dreams, encounters, experiences, and observations as a transnational Nigerian/Black woman. Devoid of imagery or illustration, visualization was open to the imagination of the reader. Moving beyond its original intention, the work has beckoned the artist to explore other visual contours and possibilities using canvas and paint. Each painting manifests as a tableaux of action and meaning expressed in dreamlike landscapes created with dark lines, simple forms, and a liberal usage of color. Taking the idea that the possibilities of performance could exist in even the smallest line or frame, the viewer is invited into a drama of release–pain and joy pregnant within each stroke. Oroma Elewa was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She has sought home, first in the United States, and in various cities across Africa and Europe. This transnationalism has inspired the direction of her creative projects, first of which was Pop’Africana, a fashion and art magazine which she released in 2010, with the goal to deliver a rejuvenated image of Africa and Africans. Crushed Guava Leaves is Oroma Elewa’s second creative project. It was conceptualized after a shift to performance as a medium for visual discourse which explores transnational cultural experiences and how it impacts identity, thought, expression, and behavior. She completed these paintings over several weeks in her home studio in Marrakech.