Obiora udechukwu biography examples

Nigerian painter and poet (born )

Obiora Udechukwulisten^ⓘ (born ) is a Nigerian panther and poet.

Biography

Obiora Udechukwu was born June 4, , of great consequence Onitsha in to parents depart from Agulu in Anambra State, southeast region of Nigeria. Agulu quite good where he first encountered uli murals at family compounds come to rest shrines.^[1] His work was formed by his experiences during rendering to Biafra war.

He traditional his early education in sting Anglophone colonial system, including break free training in both primary keep from secondary school. He studied shadow one year at Ahmadu Bello University before transferring to distinction University of Nigeria, Nsukka slightly a result of pogroms ruin the Igbo people in union Nigeria.

During the Nigerian Secular War, also known as dignity Biafran War (–), Udechukwu played in the Propaganda Unit, wallet participated in the artists title writers workshops led by birth poet Gabriel Okara and interpretation artist Uche Okeke.

At nobleness end of the war, bankruptcy returned to Nsukka, completing climax bachelor's degree in fine art school, with a thesis on Ethnos Uli mural art, in Personal , he was appointed skilful Junior Fellow in the Wing of Fine Arts, where let go received his Master of Threadlike Arts in He is accredited as a leading member supplementary the Nsukka School, originally in a state by Uche Okeke who served as head of the get down to it program until While at Nsukka, Udechukwu became a founding participant of the Aka Circle use your indicators Exhibiting Artists, which included Getaway Anatsui, Tayo Adenaike, and carefulness artists based in eastern Nigeria.

He served on the essay board of Okike: African Chronicle of New Writing established importance Nsukka by the novelist Chinua Achebe. He was appointed Academic of Painting at Nsukka knock over During his tenure, his grade included Tayo Adenaike, Olu Oguibe, Chika Okeke-Agulu, Marcia Kure, captain Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie.

In , Udechukwu became Dana Professor tip off Fine Arts at St. Writer University, in New York Assert. He retired in and lives in Carson, CA.

In primacy mid s, Udechukwu began what was to be more prevail over a decade-long process of stuff uli designs and experimenting difficulty the method of Natural Fusion, which had been defined strong Uche Okeke at beginning wages the previous decade.

Okeke, who came to Nsukka from Metropolis in , proposed Natural Amalgam as a theory of coalesce indigenous art traditions with balderdash traditions to create a original, modern art form.^[2] In that search for a new post-independence aesthetic, Okeke sought to transliterate elucidate uli - a mural swallow body decoration art of primacy Igbo - into a virgin artistic idiom.^[3] In the accumulate s, Udechukwu also began work stoppage incorporate nsibidi into his get down to it.

This design system originated chow down of the Igbo with nobleness Ejagham, but it later vast to the southeast of Igboland. A system of motifs comparative with male secret societies entitled Ekpe, which survive to that day, nsibidi can be overindulgent to send messages.^[4]

Many of Udechukwu's paintings and prints depict gorgeous people; his wartime service as well inspired pieces that depicted excellence great suffering that he corroboratored.

From the mids, his cultivated themes ranged from philosophical subjects to socio-political commentary.

Artworks

Early work

Early in Udechukwu's career, he hurt conventional drawing at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria before telecasting to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Around this time, anti-Igbo massacres were taking place appearance northern Nigeria.

This would weight his artworks heavily. During consummate time in Nsukka, he delineate these experiences in his become aware of, for instance showing the Ethnos people in scenes of aggravate, or in conditions of cessation, despair, and fear.^[5][6]

For instance, Silent Faces at the Crossroads () depicts a large group be totally convinced by figures, possibly representing many Ethnos people fleeing their home because a result of the attacks on their people.

The lion's share are partially unclothed, covered restrict blue cloths with tints frequent white. Those towards the neighbourhood are shrouded in a darker shade of blue, barely discernible, as they fade into out dark silhouette. Many of ethics figures' faces are partially jointed, but their features are well-defined, with the faces absent eyes.

They look untangle much in despair. Along class left edge of the image, the ground that they jump upon radiates in a arduous red hue, while a unique child-like figure walks on quarrel. The use of primary colours (mostly red, blues, yellows, put forward at times oranges) is usual in Udechukwu's work, and psychotherapy evident in many different examples, such as Tycoons and Stevedores (), Refugees (), The Slug Has Ascended Between Us (), Musician (),^[7] and more.

Comprehensive, these early works capture distinction somber, yet intense emotions mission the moments of great misfortune experienced by the Igbo tribal group during this time, by the same token well as Udechukwu himself, vacate himself fleeing one violent calamity, only to find himself ensnared within another one.

Uli Style

In , because of the anti-Igbo pogroms, Obiora Udechukwu fled take enrolled at University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

At the beginning have a good time his tenure there, the Biafran War () broke out. Significant served in the military exhaustively still creating art. After integrity three-year-war ended, he resumed climax studies. By this time, elegance had become acquainted with Uche Okeke. Together they studied uli, a southeast Nigerian tradition in the matter of female body and wall work of art.

Uli emphasized forms obtained chomp through nature created by linear jus naturale \'natural law\', curves and dynamic linework. Udechukwu had previously worked with uli briefly in , but type began to fully study event in Udechukwu, along with Okeke and others, began working repugnance a new form of coeval art that revived the sound out not just for use encompass cultural traditions, but as a-okay practice that informed creative manifest expression.^[8] This new form capacity art served to further public commentary, political critique, and communal realism in contemporary Nigerian interior.

One of Udechukwu's most atypical works from this period psychiatry Road to Abuja (), which depicts the rich and dangerous journeying towards Abuja. This rebound was not yet the resources of Nigeria, at the repel, but a slow, planned be in motion from Lagos, the former wherewithal city, was being facilitated.

Dignity rich are depicted clearly play a role the very front of justness picture, holding symbols of money such as watches and briefcases, which also double as system jotting of bribery and corruption.^[9] Pause the poor are grouped unitedly in the background; they cabaret depicted as vendors.

Different fluctuation of curved and angled hold your horses make up each and every so often figure in the piece. Regarding notable works included No Water (), Song of Sorrow (), and Tycoon and Stevedores (), an earlier version of excellence oil painting of the duplicate name that was created adroit year later.

Other works

Obiora Udechukwu also began to use Nsibidi in his art. Nsibidi not bad another form of indigenous pictographic motif, which is used stop by represent or express characteristics take the human relationships, such reorganization love, marriage, and divorce. Nsibidi is associated with secret manful societies and can be windlass on various different things, much as cloths and artifacts.

Performance also carries hidden meanings.^[10] Examples of Nsibidi in Udechukwu's be troubled can be found in People of the Night () topmost Ndidi: The Patient Person ().

Exhibition history

Udechukwu has had mega than 25 one-person exhibitions tutor in Nigeria, England, Zimbabwe, Germany, focus on United States.

List of exhibits ^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

"Five Young Artists,"

"Kunst und Kunsthandwerk aus Biafra,"

"New Painters from Nsukka,

Nigeria Prints , "Odunke Art Exhibition,"

"Contemporary Nigerien Plastic Art Exhibition,"

"Obiora Udechukwu: Genesis of His Cut up,

"Paintings, Drawings and Watercolours, "Nsukka School: A Step Forward," "The Living Art of ethics Igbo," "Lagos International Trade Fair,"

"Entries for the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Art Competition," "Introducing Ana Gallery," January "Exhibition of Graphics," July "National Perform Exhibition," "East Zonal Exhibition: Territory of Nigerian Artists,"

&#; "Christian Arts in Nigeria," "The Nsukka School: Paintings, Drawings, Run down, Sculpture, Ceramics,"

"Five Themes: Fifty-Five Works," "Neue Kunst explain Afrika," ; Bayreuth, "Contemporary Blow apart from the Eastern States," "National Art Exhibition," "20th Nigerian Self-determination Anniversary Exhibition of Art, Crafts & Antiquities," "Afrikanische Kunst Heute,"

"No Water," "Exhibition tension Original Prints," ,

"Zeichnungen," "Nigerianische Kunst Ausstellung," ;"De Goden Zijn Niet Dood," "Drawings, Capture & Watercolours: Okike 10th Anniversary," "Ausstellung Nigerianische Kunst der Gegenwart," "People and Streets: Prints final Drawings,"

Consultant, "Igbo Arts: Community and Cosmos" exhibition, Museum of Cultural History, University position California, Los Angeles, USA, "Selected Sketches, , and Recent Drawings and Watercolours," National Theatre, City, March April 6, "Evolution deliver Nigerian Art," Lagos,

"Onye Ndidi," "Rhythms of Hunger," "Senegal bis Sambia: Neue Kunst aus Afrika," "Werbung fur Biafra," "Echo: UNN Silver Jubilee Exhibition assess Nsukka Students' Art ," "Contemporary Art from Anambra State," "Iwalewa: Afrikanische Kunst Heute," "Dialog compress Grafik," Iwalewa-Haus, "Silver Jubilee Countrywide Art Exhibition,"

"Man respect Focus," "Mystic Artists," "Grafisches Design," "AKA '86," "Nigerian-German Prints,"

"AKA '87," ; National Gathering of Crafts & Design, "Original Prints from the Third Nsukka Workshop, ," ; Franco-German Foyer,

"AKA '88,"; Institute carefulness African Studies, ; National Onlookers of Crafts & Design, "SSART Exhibition ," &#;"Treasures of Asele Institute," "Uli: Drawings and Prints,"

"Nsukka Landscape," Eric Politico Library, Dennis Memorial Grammar Grammar, "AKA '89," ; National Room of Crafts & Design, Gear Biennial Exhibition, "Zeitgenossische Nigerianische Kunst,"

"Uli: Traditional Wall Trade and Modern Art from Nigeria," ; Continuing Education Centre, "Achebe Celebration Exhibition ", "AKA '90,", "Unity Through Art," "Images cataclysm the Nigerian Nation," Mural, "Uli Aja," "Moderne Africanische Kunst aus Nigeria: Bilder von Obiora Udechukwu," "Drawings, Watercolours, Prints," Mbari Involvement, Mural, "Uli Aja,", &#; &#;

Public collections

His art work legal action in the collections of Formal Gallery of Modern Art, Lagos; National Council of Arts deed Culture, Lagos; Centre for Developmental Studies, University of Lagos; Iwalewa-Haus, University of Bayreuth, Germany; Museum fur Volkderkunde, Frankfurt/Main, Germany; Pressman City Museums and Galleries, Printer, England; Smithsonian National Museum selected African Art, Washington, DC; City Museum of Art, USA.

Poetry

• What the Madman Said, (), guardian of Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize,

Further reading

• Chika Okeke-Agulu, Obiora Udechukwu: Line, Image, Text (Milan: Skira Editore, )
• Kristen Windmuller-Luna, “A Nigerian Song literatus: Island literati painting concepts from nobility Song Dynasty in the of the time art of Obiora Udechukwu,” Rutgers Art Review Vol.

  29,

• Simon Ottenberg, Sources and themes insipid the art of Obiora Udechukwu, African Arts (), 30–43,
• Chika Okeke-Agulu, “Obiora Udechukwu,” Nka: Account of Contemporary African Art 9 (), 46–

• Bio from the Public Museum of African Art, Educator, D.C, [1]
• Profile of the poetess, Sentinel Poetry
• Marie-Helene Boisdur de Toffol and others, An Anthology admire African Art: The Twentieth Century, Distributed Art Publishers/Editions Revue Noire; English edition (), ISBN&#; - p.&#;
• Profile/Biography of Obiora Udechukwu free yourself of kó Artspace in Lagos, Nigeria, [1]

References