Chiedu Okonta
Chiedu Okonta (b.1979) is a Nigerian-British artist based in London. As an award-winning artist and the recipient of the prestigious Sir Frank Bowling Scholarship for MA Painting at the Royal College of Art, his artistic journey integrates both self-taught foundations and the depth of formal education.
Okonta views his work as part of a contemporary school of thought focused on archiving, reporting, agitating, and questioning through deliberate objective positioning. His creations reflect a counter-hegemonic worldview, inviting diverse audiences to reflect on their place within the tapestry of humanity’s shared experience.
Chiedu was born into a traditional middle-class Nigerian family and initially trained as a civil engineer, earning his MSc from the University of East London. Today, he channels technical prowess into a deeply empathetic artistic practice, exploring the dynamics of community, resilience, and the exploitation of natural resources, particularly in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, which he hails from.
The semiotic lexicon of his works binds together timelines that form a backdrop against which Okonta’s creations resonate with urgency, mirroring a collective longing for equity. They evoke hauntological themes - echoes of the lingering presence of future expectations.
Having exhibited internationally and been featured in both domestic and international magazines, he is aware of the fleeting nature of contemporary attention and incorporates this awareness into his work, which resists a linear understanding of time. His works are designed to captivate viewers and encourage prolonged contemplation.
Chiedu Okonta (b.1979) is a Nigerian-British artist based in London. As an award-winning artist and the recipient of the prestigious Sir Frank Bowling Scholarship for MA Painting at the Royal College of Art, his artistic journey integrates both self-taught foundations and the depth of formal education.
Okonta views his work as part of a contemporary school of thought focused on archiving, reporting, agitating, and questioning through deliberate objective positioning. His creations reflect a counter-hegemonic worldview, inviting diverse audiences to reflect on their place within the tapestry of humanity’s shared experience.
Chiedu was born into a traditional middle-class Nigerian family and initially trained as a civil engineer, earning his MSc from the University of East London. Today, he channels technical prowess into a deeply empathetic artistic practice, exploring the dynamics of community, resilience, and the exploitation of natural resources, particularly in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, which he hails from.
The semiotic lexicon of his works binds together timelines that form a backdrop against which Okonta’s creations resonate with urgency, mirroring a collective longing for equity. They evoke hauntological themes - echoes of the lingering presence of future expectations.
Having exhibited internationally and been featured in both domestic and international magazines, he is aware of the fleeting nature of contemporary attention and incorporates this awareness into his work, which resists a linear understanding of time. His works are designed to captivate viewers and encourage prolonged contemplation.
