Nnenna Okore

Nnenna Okore
Nnenna Okore
Okore, 2014
Born1975 (age 48–49)
Canberra, Australia
NationalityNigerian, American, and Australian
Education
Known for
  • Sculpture
  • installation art
  • environmental art
Awards
  • UNIFEM Women's Empowerment Art Prize (1994)
  • Artist-in-residence/Teaching Fellowship, Skidmore College (2011)
  • Fulbright Scholarship (2012)
  • Threewalls Research and Development Lab (RaDLab) Award (2018)
  • Creative Victoria Creators Fund (2021)
Websitennennaokore.com

Nnenna Okorelistenⓘ (born 1975 in Canberra, Australia) is an Australian-born Nigerian artist who lives and works in Chicago at North Park University, Chicago.[1][2] Her largely abstract sculptural forms are inspired by richly textured forms and colours within the natural environment.[3] Okore's work frequently uses flotsam or discarded objects to create intricate sculptures and installations through repetitive and labor-intensive processes.[4] She learnt some of her intricate methods, including weaving, sewing, rolling, twisting and dyeing,[5] by watching local Nigerians perform daily domestic tasks.[1] In her more recent works, Okore uses plant-based materials (in particular, food scraps and food waste) to create large bioplastic art forms and installations.[6] Her work has been shown in galleries and museums within and outside of the United States.[1][5][7][8] She has won several international awards, including a Fulbright Scholar Award in 2012.[9] and the Australian Creative Victoria Award in 2021.[10]

Okore is currently a Professor of Art at North Park University in Chicago, where she runs the sculpture program.[11] As an environmental artist, researcher, and teacher,[12] Okore uses her eco-centered art practice to engender learning, artistic experience, and ecological awareness through art.[13]

  1. ^ a b c Cotter, Holland (8 November 2012). "Nnenna Okore: Transfiguration". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  2. ^ Ingram, Jane Allen (5 March 2018). "Nnenna Okore". Sculpture Magazine. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Intricate abstract sculptures by Nnenna Okore inspired by veins, roots, and flora". Creative Boom. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  4. ^ Perry, Elle. "Nnenna Okore's "Sheer Audacity" at the Brooks". Memphis Flyer. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b Heckel, Jodi. "Contemporary artist Nnenna Okore to visit Krannert Art Museum". news.illinois.edu. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Nnenna Okore". Monash University. October 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  7. ^ "The Buzz Around Contemporary African Art: 10 Trending Artists at 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair". Artsy. 12 October 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Nnenna Okore - 45 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy". www.artsy.net. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Nigerian artist Nnenna Okore to exhibit work in London". The Guardian of Nigeria. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Meet the Creators 2021". Creative Victoria. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  11. ^ "Nnenna Okore is on a picturesque exploration of the cycle of life". Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  12. ^ Okore, Nnenna. "Nnenna Okore". Bridges. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  13. ^ Okore, Nnenna (2022). Practice, Provocation and Participation: Thinking with Waste. PhD thesis. p. 4.