Nnenna Okore
* 1975 in Canberra, Australia, lives in Chicago
Born in Australia and raised in Nigeria. After studying painting at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka, Nnenna Okore pursued advanced studies in sculpture at the University of Iowa. Nnenna Okore has received international acclaim for her richly textured fiber art sculptures and installations. Known for their environmental ties her works explore the fragility and ephemerality of terrestrial existence. Her highly tactile sculptures respond to the rhythms and contours of everyday life, combining reductive methods of shredding, fraying, twisting, teasing and washing with constructive processes of tying, weaving, stitching and dyeing. Also, informing her aesthetics are familiar sounds of sweeping, chopping, talking and washing, processes that reflect the transience of human labor and its inevitable mark on the material world. Nnenna Okore is a Professor of Art at Chicago’s North Park University, where she oversees the Sculpture area. Her works have been featured at venues including Museum of Art and Design in New York, the Museu Afro Brasil in Sao Paulo and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
“I engage deeply, almost spiritually, with my materials and processes— listening to them, hearing their voices, and following their leads.” (Artdesigncafe)
Photo © Nnenna Okore