Amarachi Okafor (born 1977) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

artist whose works have focused on culture, religion, history,

gender relations A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cente ...

human sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

, and topical issues, like the spread of the Ebola virus in Africa.

Early life and education

Okafor was born in Umuahia. In 2002 she attended a fine arts course at the

University of Nigeria The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eastern part of Nigeria. Founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has thr ...

and in 2007, at the same university, held a master's degree in sculpture and curatorial practice.

Career

Okafor was a member of El Anatsui's atelier in the late 1990s. Okafor works in painting and sculpture. She was the curator at NGA (National Gallery of Art) in

Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...

between 2008 and 2014. In 2007 she won a Unesco-Aschberg artists' residency, and the Commonwealth Foundation ''Commonwealth Connections'' in 2010. In 2014, she was a finalist in the 2014 National Art Competition, and won the Juror's prize that year. She exhibited at the 2015 Jogja Biennale. Okafor's "The Colour of My Heart Is Colour of My City" was a touring (2015-2019) solo art exhibition that exhibited at the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Okafor, Amarachi 1977 births Nigerian women artists University of Nigeria alumni Living people People from Umuahia Nigerian women curators