Nnenna Okore's First Major Exhibition in Nigeria



Nnenna Okore, the talented and internationally acclaimed sculptor and installation artist, returns to Nigeria to hold her first major art exhibition beginning June 20th, 4pm, at the Goethe Institut in Lagos. After a successful series of exhibitions at galleries in the US and the UK, the Assistant Professor of Art at North Park University, Chicago will bring her vibrant and constructive approach to sculptural and installation art to a keen Nigerian art audience. The exhibition will be opened by her former professor and mentor at the University of Nsukka and famed art sculptor in his own right El Anatsui.


conjoined by N. Okore

Nnenna often uses materials found in urban environments. Her artworks reflect the way that natural and man-made materials evolve, decay and transform, while other pieces can take on the character and flowing shape of traditional woven cloths or elements of nature. She has received several awards and residencies worldwide, and has been exhibited in several prestigious galleries and museums including the Museum of Art and Design, New York and the October Gallery, London.

Achi by Nnenna Okore

The German Cultural center, the Goethe Institut are her hosts for this show presented by Kachifo Limited, publishers of Farafina Books. The show runs at the Goethe Institut from June 20th until July 10th. Learn more about this artist by logging on to www.nnennaokore.com, or by contacting the organisers at info@kachifo.com.

Foliage by Nnenna Okore

Nnenna Okore is an Assistant Professor of Art at North Park University. She received her B.A degree in Painting from the University of Nigeria (First Class Honors) in 1999, and an M.A and M.F.A. in Sculpture from the University of Iowa in 2004 and 2005. She has received several awards and residencies worldwide, and been shown in numerous prestigious galleries and museums within and outside the United States. She currently has work on display at Sakshi Gallery, India. Her two solo outings will open in June and July at the Goethe Institut, Lagos, and the Chicago Cultural center, Chicago respectively. She will also exhibit in a year long exhibition, Trash Menagerie, curated by Janey Winchell at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA. The show runs from June 20, 2009-June, 2010.

Learn more about this vibrant artist by visiting her website.

Okore says:
Much of my inspiration stems from my childhood years at Nsukka, a small university town in south-eastern Nigeria. As a child, I was fascinated by the social, natural, and man-made conditions in rural dwellings around the University campus. Embedded within its landscape were evocative imageries captured within its rocky slopes, and architectural structures. I came across several stunning traditional art and architectural forms, such as, roofed shrines characterized by huge mounds of sand under a thatched structure, and yam barns and fences that traced the borders of people’s compounds. I was also drawn to simple sights of bare-footed children appropriating toys and hunting tools from scrap objects.

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