Untitled

Uche Okeke was born in 1933 in Nimo, Anambra State Eastern Nigeria. At an early age, he became acquainted with traditional Igbo folklore and traditions at home and school. His ardent love for the arts can be traced to his mother who was skillful in "Uli"-- a form of body and wall painting popular among the Igbos of Eastern Nigeria. He studied Fine arts at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology (NCAST), Zaria. While in NCAST, Okeke founded the Zaria Art Society alongside other undergraduate art students. Together, they embarked on a retrospective tour of their indigenous cultures to fuse local content with western techniques.

This painting shows the artists in-depth experimentation of the “uli” idiom. Here he displays different Uli motifs from the “Agwolagwo” to the “Onwa” and the “Nchigali” motifs. He explores these motifs using blue, yellow, orange and red colors.