Odili Donald Odita
| Odili Donald Odita | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1966 Enugu, Nigeria |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Painting |
Odili Donald Odita (born on 18 February 1966) is an African American abstract painter who lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Odita's work explores color both in the figurative historical context and in the sociopolitical sense. His vibrant large-scale abstractions have been described as "showstoppers" and are considered to raise questions about race and society. Most of Odita's work is inspired by the vibrant textiles of his home country, Nigeria mixed with patterns from Western modernity.
Odita was born on 18 February 1966, in Enugu, Nigeria. In 1967, his family were forced to flee Nigeria in order to avoid the Biafran war. They then resided in Columbus, Ohio in the United States.
Starting at the age of five, Odita began recreating drawings from superhero comic books, and later fashion magazines. He said, "I knew I was going to be an artist after I did a marathon copying of images from a stack of prints/drawings that my father had collected for his work as an art historian." Day and night, Odita drew until fatigue would get to him and force him to fall asleep.
Odita received his B.F.A., with Distinction, from Ohio State University in 1988, where he also received the Excellence in the Arts Award. He received a M.F.A. from Bennington College, Vermont in 1990. In 1998 Odili earned ART/OMI, International Artist Residency.
In the 1990s Odita was a critic for Flash Art International, and a consulting editor and writer for NKA, Journal of Contemporary African Art. From 2003 to 2005 he was a Visiting Critic in Painting at Yale University School of Art. From 2002 to 2003 he was a Visiting Associate Professor in Painting at the University of South Florida, Tampa. From 2000 to 2006 he was an Associate Professor in Painting at the Florida State University, Tallahassee. From 2006 to the present Odita has been an Associate Professor of Painting in Philadelphia at the Tyler School of Art / Temple University.
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