U.S-based artist Nnenna Okore returns to October Gallery, London, U.K. for her second solo exhibition.Following the success of her London debut solo show Ulukububa: Infinite Flow in 2008, Okore continues to imploy ordinary media like magazine and newspaper to highlight consumerism and excessive wastefulness in todays society.From May 6 to June 18, 2011 her new body of work Metamorphoses goes on display at a gallery that brought her to limelight two years ago.Along with the continued exploration of these themes in her work, Okore is also inspired by the concept of growth and metamorphosis.She stated that I am fascinated and often surprised by material transformations that result from amassment, layering and multiplicity of smaller parts and units.October Gallery noted that alluding to commonplace materials such as fabric, Okore converts everyday detritus into biomorphic forms that reference organic movements and fluid undulation of expanding surfaces.Her sculptures explore rich earthly colours, textures and formations often resembling architectural structures and spaces. The application of various repetitive and labour-intensive techniques, like weaving, twisting, sewing, dyeing, waxing and rolling, only serve to further accentuate these elements and other visceral qualities embodied in these works.Within the genre of urban recyclia, Okores creations stand out for their playfulness, sophistication and exquisite beauty.Okore has shown widely throughout the U. S. and her works were featured in the inaugural exhibition Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. She has also exhibited at the Goethe Institut in Lagos and participated at the Dakart, Dakar, Senegal and Johannesburg biennials as well as the prestigious 29th Sao Paulo Biennial.Raised in Nsukka, Nigeria, Okore has emerged as one of the foremost artists of her generation. Her largely abstract works are inspired by textures, colors and landscapes of her milieu. Finding reusable value in discarded materials, Okore enriches her work with layers of meaning through familiar processes.Both in her home country Nigeria and United States, she relies on the use of flotsam or discarded objects, which are tranformed into intricate sculpture and installations through repetitive and labor-intensive techniques. Some of her processes include weaving, sewing, rolling, twisting and dyeing, which she learned by watching local Nigerians perfom daily tasks. Most of Okores works explore detailed surfaces and organic formations.Okore is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Art Department at North Park University, Chicago, where she teaches Sculpture, Spatial Art, Advanced Studio, Two and Three Dimensional Design and Drawing I. She earned her B.A degree in Painting from the University of Nigeria (First Class Honors) in 1999, and an M.A and M.F.A. in Sculpture from the University of Iowa in 2004 and 2005. She has received several national and international awards and been shown in numerous prestigious galleries and museums within and outside the United States. She recently participated in the prestigious 29th Sao Paulo Biennial, Brazil and is presently exhibiting at the Tang Museum, NY, Northwestern University gallery, IL and Baltimore Clayworks, MD.
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