His favorite piece is his Afriqueen, a recent drawing that pays homage to his heritage and celebrates Black women and their stories. In the piece, the woman’s hair is her crown, speaking to the multigenerational power held in traditional, Black women’s hairstyles.

The intricacy and stoic nature of Afriqueen highlights Hopex’s creative processes, where he often spends upwards of twelve to fifteen hours in the studio, telling these stories.

Echoes of Nigerian artists Kelvin Okafo and Arinze Stanley – Hopex’s inspirations – are seen in his pieces, yet they maintain his signature style. In the future, Hopex hopes to release a collection of portraits of Black women featuring their cultural hairstyles. The hairstyles, like Hopex’s works, are storytellers, where each braid, twist, bead, and strand plays a role in the rich stories of his homeland.