Odiri Donald Odita Born in Nsukka, Nigeria in 1966, he grew up in the Midwestern United States after fleeing the country where his family was born. Following the BFA in Ohio, he had a career as a teacher who culminated in an associate professor’s painting post for the past 15 years at the Tyler School of Fine Arts in Philadelphia.
During that time, he held both solo and group exhibitions, represented the United States at the Venice Biennale in 2007, created wall art and community street murals, and was a consulting editor and writer for the NKA journal in the 1990s. ..
His work includes “complex interlocking geometry and contrasting hues”. His vibrant, large-scale abstraction that uses his work to reflect the human condition is culturally grounded and is believed to raise questions about race and society today.
His inspiration comes primarily from the bright textiles of his home country, but he mixes them with Western modernity to create a completely contemporary look. His colors are often mixed by hand and are not repeated. The nuances and play of shades and tones are essential to the fascination and complexity of his art …. reflected in the dynamics of each unique piece.
Canvas is usually the basis of his choice, but sometimes Odita paints on wooden panels or flexiglass. This gives the piece a different texture dimension, as seen in the two paintings above, in which acrylic latex is painted on the aluminum core and the reconstructed wooden panels are reconstructed. plywood.
