DAIJA ESSIEN is a Louisiana-based multidisciplinary artist whose work examines identity, belonging, and the ways selfhood is negotiated between what feels internal and what is socially assigned. Working across printmaking, painting, textiles, and immersive installation, she treats visibility as conditional, shifting with proximity and point of view, emphasizing how first impressions can change as the individual refuses to remain singular. Ultimately, her work asks what authenticity means in a world where identity can be rewarded or punished depending on context and who is looking, inviting viewers to recognize their role in reading, assigning, and reinforcing what people are “supposed” to be. Essien earned her BFA from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2023. Her work has been exhibited and published regionally and nationally, including at the Old Stone House of Brooklyn in Brooklyn, New York. She is currently pursuing her MFA at Louisiana Tech University’s School of Design and is expected to graduate in Spring 2026.