“The First Day of My Re-Education” is a deeply personal exploration of the struggles the artist faced with self-image as a Nigerian immigrant navigating the complexities of pre-teen life in the United States. This piece encapsulates the internal battles of a young girl caught between two worlds—her rich cultural heritage and the unfamiliar, often harsh, landscape of American society. In this work, Salami reimagines the possibility of transcending time, where her current self journeys back to meet younger Abi at a pivotal moment. It’s not just a meeting; it’s a profound act of re-education. She offers her the wisdom that only years of experience can bring, gently guiding her to embrace her changing body, to see her beauty as it truly is—untainted by the external pressures of societal expectations. Through this narrative, she seeks to address the universal struggle with self-acceptance that many face, especially within the immigrant experience. “The First Day of My Re-Education” is not merely about revisiting the past, but about rewriting it—turning moments of self-doubt into ones of empowerment and self-love. It’s an invitation to all who view it to reflect on their own journeys of self-acceptance and to consider how our past selves might have blossomed with the guidance and compassion we now possess.

Abi Salami is a self-taught artist who creates large-scale surrealist works that explore her experiences as a Nigerian immigrant and Black woman in the United States. Through the use of a personal visual lexicon made up of symbols, she explores topics such as sexuality, mental health and race. She earned a Masters in Professional Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and worked in Corporate America for almost a decade before committing to painting full-time. Since then, Salami’s artwork has graced the walls of esteemed institutions such as Montresso Art Foundation in Morocco, and Galerie Droste in Germany, C24 Gallery and Field Projects in New York City, Rele Gallery in Los Angeles and the Women’s Museum, the African American Museum of Art in Dallas, and Cris Worley Fine Arts in Dallas. She was the winner of the 2021 Hopper Prize. She was selected as a candidate of the Saatchi Art 2020 Rising Stars under 35 Class and a 2021 New Voices Top 100 Artists. She and her work have been featured on the Washington Post, New York Times, Artland, Artsy, D Magazine, Glasstire and Patron Magazine. Salami lives and works in Dallas, Texas.