Odili Donald Odita

Odili Donald Odita
Born 1966
Enugu, Nigeria
Nationality American
Known for Painting

Odili Donald Odita (born 1966) is an African American artist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He creates vibrant large-scale abstractions that have been described as "showstoppers"[1] and that are considered to raise questions about race and society.[2]

Early life and education

Odita was born in Enugu, Nigeria in 1966, but grew up in Columbus, Ohio in the United States.[1][3] He received his MFA from Bennington College, Vermont in 1990 and his BFA (with Distinction, Excellence in the Arts Award) from the Ohio State University in 1988.

Career

In the 1990s Odita was a Critic for Flash Art International, and a Consulting Editor and Writer for NKA, Journal of Contemporary African Art.[4] From 2003 to 2005 he was a Visiting Critic in Painting at Yale University School of Art.[4] From 2002 to 2003 he was a Visiting Associate Professor in Painting at the University of South Florida, Tampa.[4] From 2000 to 2006 he was an Associate Professor in Painting at the Florida State University, Tallahassee.[4] From 2006 to the present Odita has been an Associate Professor of Painting in Philadelphia at the Tyler School of Art / Temple University.[4]

Odita is primarily a painter, but also works in photo-based pieces and installation art. He has experimented with a variety of media, but his works since the 1990s are often large-scale paintings on canvas and Plexiglass. He sometimes paints directly on walls to alter the perception of space.[3] Often involving "complex interlocking geometries and contrasting hues",[5] his works are seen as raising significant questions about race and society.[2]

"All visual materials are culturally grounded and that it is important to recognize where their meaning is derived from."[2]

Although often related to mainstream abstract artists such as Helen Frankenthaler and Kenneth Noland, Odita intentionally places himself in a tradition of black abstract painters from the 1970s and 1980s. He has studied and interviewed many of the artists from that period including Howardena Pindell, Alvin D. Loving, Edward Clark, Frank Bowling, and Stanley Whitney.[6]

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 Koplos, Janet. "Odili Donald Odita". Art in America. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Oguibe, Olu. "Odili Donald Odita". BOMB Magazine. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Perspectives 169: Odili Donald Odita". Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Odili Donald Odita, Temple University.
  5. ↑ Ulrich Project Series Odili Donald Odita Television January 17-April 26, 2009 (PDF). Ulrich Museum of Art. 2009. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Sheets, Hilarie M. (June 4, 2014). "The Changing Complex Profile of Black Abstract Painters". ARTnews. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Odili Donald Odita, Jack Shainman Gallery.
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