Introducing Anne-Sophie Chioma Opara, also known as ANSO, a talented illustrator with a passion for art and creativity. Based in Brussels, ANSO spends her days drawing, brainstorming, and creating stunning pieces of illustration. Her curly hair is a reflection of her vibrant and dynamic personality, and it is evident in her artwork.
Belgium-based illustrator Anso Choma works at the intersection of portraiture, graphic design, and storytelling. A graduate of the LUCA School of Arts in Ghent (2017), Choma’s practice is rooted in drawing but extends into prop creation, storyboarding, and digital illustration. Their work is vibrant, playful, and unmistakably graphic—embracing bold lines, saturated color palettes, and stylized forms that echo the energy of African pop art while remaining firmly personal.
Graphic Art as Language
Anso’s illustrations sit comfortably within the lineage of contemporary graphic art: works that combine immediacy, accessibility, and visual punch. The portraits they create are not only likenesses but experiments in form—flattened planes, exaggerated features, and rhythmic compositions that turn faces into symbols.
This graphic sensibility recalls the tradition of poster art, comics, and pop-inspired printmaking. Each drawing functions like a frame in a visual narrative, hinting at larger worlds that exist off the page. It’s a style deeply informed by Anso’s background in storyboarding, where images must communicate quickly, clearly, and evocatively.
Dialogues with African Pop Art
Choma’s work also resonates with the spirit of African pop art, a movement that merges global pop culture with distinctly African aesthetics. Artists such as Owusu-Ankomah, Cheri Samba, and more recently, digital illustrators across the continent, have used graphic language to challenge stereotypes, celebrate identity, and inject humor into the representation of African life.
In Anso’s portraits, one can see echoes of this vibrancy: bright, unashamedly bold color schemes, compositions that flirt with exaggeration, and an unapologetic embrace of cultural storytelling. Their passion for Igbo folklore and mythology brings an additional layer of richness, connecting the immediacy of pop art to deeper narrative traditions.
The result is a body of work that feels both playful and politically resonant—situating Choma within a global community of artists who use graphic art as a tool for identity-making and myth-building.
Mythology Meets Pop Aesthetics
While pop art is often associated with consumerism and satire, Anso’s practice reorients it toward mythology and personal storytelling. By studying folklore—particularly from Igboland—they fold layers of ancestral imagination into a graphic vocabulary of portraits and props. In this fusion, mythology becomes pop, and pop becomes myth: an aesthetic exchange that destabilizes categories and broadens the scope of what illustration can hold.
ANSO is particularly fond of creating portraits, but her inspiration comes from a wide range of sources. From music and cartoons to comic books and the Igbo culture, ANSO finds beauty and creativity in everything around her. She is also fascinated by Afro futurism and the African diaspora, which is reflected in her work.
ANSO’s love for art and illustration led her to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Design, specializing in Illustration and Storyboarding. In 2017, she graduated from LUCA School of Arts in Ghent with her final project, a heartwarming children’s book about Mira, a sweet little girl from a multicultural family.
As an illustrator, ANSO’s goal is to capture the essence of diversity and inclusion through her art. She believes that art has the power to bring people together and break barriers, and she aims to showcase this through her work. ANSO’s illustrations are not just visually appealing but also convey important messages of love, acceptance, and unity.
If you ever come across ANSO’s artwork, you’ll be captivated by the intricate details, vibrant colors, and meaningful themes. She is a rising star in the world of illustration, and we can’t wait to see what she creates next. Follow ANSO on her artistic journey and be inspired by her passion for art and creativity.
An Expansive Practice
Whether sketching portraits, doodling characters, or imagining props, Anso approaches art with joy and rigor. Their practice is prolific, grounded in daily creative work that bridges the gap between casual experimentation and professional illustration.
Off the page, Anso’s passions—singing, cartoons, horror films, the dream of a cat sanctuary—reinforce the dualities at play in their art: the whimsical and the eerie, the intimate and the spectacular.
Positioning in Contemporary Illustration
As an emerging artist, Anso Choma exemplifies how illustration today can move between personal expression and global visual culture. Their portraits capture individuality while channeling broader conversations around identity, heritage, and myth.
By blending the immediacy of graphic art with the narrative depth of African pop aesthetics, Choma creates work that is both accessible and layered—images that invite us to look again, and then imagine beyond.
In their lines and colors lies a reminder: illustration is not merely decorative, but a living, evolving language of identity and storytelling.
