Lot 50: Nnenna Okore (Nigerian, born 1975) Achi 131 x 80cm (51 9/16 x 31 1/2in) each. in two parts

Nnenna Okore (Nigerian, born 1975)
Achi
clay and burlap
131 x 80cm (51 9/16 x 31 1/2in) each.
in two parts
Footnotes

Provenance
Purchased directly from the artist by the present owner.
Private collection, USA.


Born in Australia in 1975, but raised in Nsukka, Nigeria, Nnenna Okore is truly a citizen of the world. She now divides her time between Nigeria and Chicago, where she teaches sculpture and spatial art at North Park University.

A former student of renowned Ghanaian artist, El Anatsui, Okore also recognizes the creative potential of recycled materials, crafting everyday waste into works of great beauty. Her thoughtful re-workings of discarded magazines, newspapers and cloth lend new meaning to these humble materials, implicitly criticizing the lazy wastefulness of our 'throw-away' consumer culture.

Okore's creative process draws on age old Nigerian craft techniques, passed down to her by her grandmother. Weaving, sewing, rolling and twisting; her wall reliefs are all produced by hand. In a world of increasing mechanization and reproduction, the artist is committed to keeping traditional craft alive.

Nenna Okore's work has been exhibited at numerous galleries across the world, including the David Krut Gallery in New York and the October Gallery in London. She recently participated in the 29th Sao Paulo Biennal in Brazil, and was the 2012/2013 recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship.