Nnenna Okore

Cresciuta a Nsukka, in Nigeria, nel 1999 ha conseguito la laurea con lode in Pittura presso l'Università della Nigeria. Fra il 2004 e il 2005 ha ottenuto un Master of Arts e successivamente anche un Master of Fine Arts^[2] in scultura presso l'Università dello Iowa. Artista di fama internazionale, ha fatto carriera anche nel campo dell'insegnamento ed attualmente è professore associato e presidente del dipartimento di arte presso la North Park University di Chicago.^[3]

Il lavoro di Nnenna Okore ruota intorno al concetto di riciclaggio: l'artista riutilizza e trasforma oggetti di scarto in elaborate sculture ed installazioni con tecniche manuali che comprendono la tessitura, la cucitura, la tintura, apprese guardando i suoi compatrioti nigeriani svolgere le proprie attività quotidiane.^[4] Predilige materiali biodegradabili quali vecchi giornali, carta, filati, caffè, amido, argilla per creare forme organiche e astratte, ispirate in gran parte da texture, colori e paesaggi africani.

L'artista si dichiara attratta dai fenomeni naturali, dal processo di invecchiamento e di decadenza che inevitabilmente aggredisce ogni creatura vivente e perfino ogni materiale inorganico. Con le sue opere intende portare avanti una riflessione sulla precarietà dell'esistenza e sulle possibilità di migliorare e preservare l'ambiente.^[5]

2011

• Nnenna Okore: New Works, Herron School of Art and Design Gallery, University of Indiana, Indianapolis, USA. *Shokoloko, Craft Alliance, St. Louis, USA.
• Rush, Skidmore College Gallery, New York, USA.
• Metamorphoses, October Gallery, London, UK.
• Torn Apart, David Krut Projects, New York, USA.
• On The Edge, Dittmar Memorial Gallery, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA.

2010

• Life After, Noyes Art Center, Evanston, USA.
• Textile, Blachere Fondation Art Center, Apt, France.
• Recovered Energies, Bekris Gallery, San Francisco, USA.
• Absurd Beauty, Northeastern Illinois University Art Gallery, Chicago, USA.

2009

• Anyanwu, Carl A. Fields Center Gallery, Princeton University, USA.
• Strings and Patterns, Viberto University Gallery, La Crosse, USA.
• Twisted Ambience, Chicago Cultural Center, USA.
• Of Earth....Barks and Topography, Goethe Institut, Lagos, Nigeria

2008

• Ulukububa-Infinite Flow, October Gallery, London.
• Moonlight Tales, Tall Grass Association, (Chicago) Park Forest, USA.
• Affrika West, Oriel Mostyn Gallery, Llandudno, UK.

2007

• Reflection: A Nigerian Experience, Contemporary African Art Gallery, New York City, USA.
• Sub-consciousness, Adam Hall Gallery, Wheaton College, Wheaton, USA.

2006

• Betwixt and Between, Carlson Gallery, North Park University, Chicago, USA.
• Trans-figuration, Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, Moraine Valley Community College, USA.

2005

• Paper to Paper, Armature Art Gallery, University of Iowa, USA.

2004

• Accumulations, Arts Iowa City, Iowa City, USA.

2003

• Re-presented, Armature Gallery, University of Iowa, USA.

2002

• Beyond the Lines, Didi Museum, Lagos, Nigeria.

2001

• Metaphors, Alternative space, Lagos, Nigeria.

2011

• Environment and Object in Recent African Art, Anderson Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA.
• Transcending Integration, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, USA.
• Environment and Object in Recent African Art, Tang Museum, Skidmore College, New York City, USA.

2010

• Scratch, presented by Sakshi Gallery at Latit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, India.
• (Re-) Cycles of Paradise, UN COP16, Cancun, Mexico.
• 29th Sao Paulo Biennial, Sao Paulo, Brasil.
• Textile, Blachere Fondation Art Center, Apt, France.

2009

• (Re-) Cycles of Paradise, in association with the UN COP15, Copenaghen, Denmark.
• In Progress, Group show at Calson Tower Gallery, North Park University, Chicago, USA.
• Common Ground, Bekris Gallery, San Francisco, USA.
• Chance Encounters- touring exhibition, Sakshi Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan.
• Trash Menagerie, Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, USA.
• Paper to Pulp, HC Center for the Arts, Ellicott City, USA.
• Transvangarde, October Gallery, London.
• Chance Encounters, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, India.
• Object of A Revolution, Galerie Dominique Fait, Paris.
• Trace/Memory, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, USA.

2008

• Afganza Africa, October Gallery, London.
• Affrika West, Galeri Artspace, Caernarfon, UK.
• Channel4 Art Exhibition, Channel4/Art4 Gallery, London.
• Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary, Museum of Art and Design, New York City, USA.
• Refabrication, by Nnenna Okore, Linda Gordon, and Kirstin Demer. Carlson Gallery, North Park University, USA.
• Clay and Fibre, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, USA.
• Joburg Art Fair, (sponsored by October Gallery) Sandton Convention Center, Johannesburg, SA.
• Trading Spaces, Binghamton University, USA.

2006

• African Contemporary Art Exhibition, Dakar Biennale, Senegal.

2005

• Twelfth SOFA International Exposition, Chicago, USA.
• 8th International Open Exhibition, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, USA.

2003

• Migrations, Legion Arts CSPS, Cedar Rapids, USA.
• Units, Legion Arts CSPS, Cedar Rapids, USA.

2002

• New Works, Armature Gallery, University of Iowa. Curator: Thomas Aprile, Professor of Art, University of Iowa, USA.

2001

• New Energies, Nimbus Gallery and Mydrim Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria Curator: Prof. El Anatsui, University of Nigeria.

2011

• Visiting Artist, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA.
• Visiting Artist, Herron school of Art and Design, University of Indiana, Indianapolis, USA.
• Guest Artist, Tang Museum, Skidmore College, New York, USA.

2010

• Guest Artist, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, USA.
• Visiting Artist, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, USA.
• Visiting Artist, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, USA.

2009

• Guest Artist, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, USA.
• Guest Artist, Princeton University, Princeton, USA.
• Guest Artist, Viterbo University, La Crosse, USA.
• Guest Artist, Time Line Lecture series, Museum of African Art, New York City, USA.

2008

• Visiting Artist, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.

• Nnenna Okore, Polly Savage, “Nnenna Okore: ulukububa: infinite flow”, October Gallery, 2008.
• Nnenna Okore, “Reclaiming the waste”, University of Iowa, 2004.
• Nnenna Okore, ”Exploring space”, University of Iowa, 2005

• Newark Museum, New Jersey, USA
• Jean Paul Blachere Fondation, France
• Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, USA
• Royal Collections, Abu Dhabi, UEA
• Art House Contemporary Limited, Nigeria
• Channel 4, London, UK
• Renaissance Capital, Moscow, Russia
• Daraja Art Foundation, London, UK

• Artist-in-residence/Teaching Fellowship, Skidmore College, New York, USA. (2011)
• Artist Residency, Jean Paul Blachere Foundation, Apt, France. (2010)
• Artist-in-residence, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, USA. (2010)
• North Park University Faculty Project Grant, USA. (2008)
• Residency at Instituto Rural de Arte Hoz del Jucar, Spain. (2007)
• Artist Full Fellowship at Global Art Village, Delhi, India. (2007)
• Residency at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, USA. (2007)
• UNESCO-Aschberg Fellowship for Artists (Gruber Jez Foundation, Mexico). (2007)
• Red Gate Residency, Beijing, China. (2006)
• North Park University Research Award, USA. (2005)
• SFAI Residency, Santa Fe Art Institute, USA. (2005)
• Graduate Assistantship, University of Iowa, USA. (2005)
• Emma McAllister Novel Scholarship, University of Iowa, USA. (2004)
• Teaching Assistantship, University of Iowa, USA. (2002-2005)
• Valedictorian (Fine Arts), University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. (1999)
• First prize, UNIFEM Women's Art Contest, Lagos, Nigeria. (1994)
• First prize, UNICEF African Child's Day Art Contest, Mbabane, Swaziland. (1993)

• Kate McCrickard, “Waste Management/Things Torn Apart”, Art South Africa, Volume 9.4, 2011.
• McPhillip Nwachukwu, “Nigerian Art Market....,says Nnenna Okore”, Vanguard, 2010.
• Jessica Hemmings, “Material Meaning”, Wasafiri Magazine, Issue 63, 2010.
• Jessica Kronika, “Nnenna Okore's art .... recycled material installation, The Examiner, 2009.
• Mike Giuliano, “Visual Arts: Five artists 'paper' the arts center”, Howard County Times, 2009.
• Jessica Scarlata, “Second lives: remixing the ordinary”, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, 2008. ISBN 978-1-890385-14-9
• October Gallery, Gerard Houghton, “Nnenna Okore: Metaphorphoses”, October Gallery, 2011. ISBN 1899542353

• Arte contemporanea africana

•   Wikimedia Commons contiene immagini o altri file su Nnenna Okore

• Sito ufficiale, su nnennaokore.com. URL consultato il 30 gennaio 2012 (archiviato dall'url originale il 18 febbraio 2012).
• Recensione del lavoro della Okore su Africa Today ^{[collegamento interrotto]}, su africatoday.com.
• Le opere dell'artista sul sito del New York Times, su nytimes.com.
• Intervista su Africa Channel, su theafricachannel.co.uk. URL consultato il 30 gennaio 2012 (archiviato dall'url originale il 1º marzo 2012).