Iké Udé
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Iké Udé (born 1964) is a
Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...
-American photographer,
performance artist Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
, author, and
publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
based in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, United States.


Early life and education

Udé was born in 1964 in Makurdi,
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
where he was raised. The eldest son of a wealthy family, he was exposed to photography and
portraiture A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better re ...
at an early age by dressing up for biweekly family portraits. As an adolescent, Udé attended the Government Secondary School, Afikpo, a British boarding school in Afikpo Nigeria. He was a habitué of
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
before he moved to New York in 1981 to study Media Communications at
Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...
,
CUNY The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...
. He began his art career in the late 1980s with
abstract painting Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a Composition (visual arts), composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. ''Abstract art'', ''non-figurative art'', ''non- ...
and
drawing Drawing is a Visual arts, visual art that uses an instrument to mark paper or another two-dimensional surface, or a digital representation of such. Traditionally, the instruments used to make a drawing include pencils, crayons, and ink pens, some ...
. Since the 1990s, photography has been his primary medium. Udé is a
dual citizen Multiple citizenship (or multiple nationality) is a person's legal status in which a person is at the same time recognized by more than one sovereign state, country under its nationality law, nationality and citizenship law as a national or cit ...
of the United States and Nigeria.


Work


Early work on paper and paintings

Udé's paintings and drawings are less well known than his photography, though
critics A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...
and
art historians The history of art focuses on objects made by humans for any number of spiritual, narrative, philosophical, symbolic, conceptual, documentary, decorative, and even functional and other purposes, but with a primary emphasis on its aesthetics ...
have recognized his early work. The late Henry Geldzhaler said of Udé's paintings and works on paper: "I am touched and amazed at the ways in which he manages to blend invisibly the modernist tradition with his own Nigerian roots. There is never anything forced in the conjunction; air and light seem to be his media."


''Cover Girls''

Udé began his ''Cover Girls'' series in 1994 which established his place in the contemporary scene. Each photograph imitates the cover of a popular fashion or lifestyle magazines, in which the artist himself is featured as the model. The photographs were consciously stylized, posed, photographed and then paired with type matching that of the respected magazine. At first glance, each photograph appears to be an authentic magazine cover. Udé used the magazine cover as a stage to critique the fetishism of the upper class white model and the effects of popular culture on today's consumerist society. He also used the series to comment on issues such as the absence of blackness in fashion, racial stereotyping, and the misrepresentation of people of color. The series was exhibited in 1994 in the New York City gallery Exit Art.


''Uli''

Udé's black and white series of photographs, ''Uli'', references
high fashion (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design. The term ''haute couture'' generally refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to th ...
, and
Uli Uli or ULI, may refer to: Places *Uli, Anambra, Nigeria; a town * Uli, Iran; a village People and figures * Uli I of Mali (Yérélinkon; 13th century), emperor of Mali Germanic name Uli is a name, short for Ulrich or Ulrike (disambiguation) and ...
body art and wall motifs from Udé's
Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...
heritage.


''Paris Hilton: Fantasy and Simulacrum''

Udé's ''Paris Hilton: Fantasy and Simulacrum'' is a conversation between his alter ego, Visconti, and the celebrity
Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite. Hilton was born in New York City and raised there partially; shuttling between Los Angeles and New York City; she is a great-grandda ...
. The exhibition consisted of several
mixed media In visual art, mixed media describes work of art, artwork in which more than one Art medium, medium or material has been employed. Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different List of art media, media. M ...
works, assembled with material from gossip
blogs A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...
, wallpaper samples, photocopies, mirrors, fashion and lifestyle magazines, and
pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
sites. Combined, these pieces illustrate the construction of the Paris Hilton phenomenon, inviting viewers to question what they really know about fame and the aesthetics of cultural decay.


Recent projects


''Sartorial Anarchy''

Udé's portraits, most notably those in ''Sartorial Anarchy'', are a combination of wit and
historicism Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying the process or history by which they came about. The term is widely used in philosophy, ant ...
. These works possess a contemporary
haute couture (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design. The term ''haute couture'' generally refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the ...
vibe, or what ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' art critic
Roberta Smith Roberta Smith (born 1948) is co-chief art critic of ''The New York Times'' and a lecturer on contemporary art. She is the first woman to hold that position at the Times. Education and early life Born in 1948 in New York City and raised in Lawre ...
refers to as "irreverent, cultural polyglot self-portraits". In a review for photographmag.com, Jean Dykstra writes, "As much as identity is a cultural construct, it is also an individual creation, and few people have fashioned a self with as much flourish as Iké Udé." In an interview with Monica Miller, Udé said his purpose for creating ''Sartorial Anarchy'' was that "Medium-wise, I saw and felt a great need to push the language of photography forward, not at all satisfied by the prevailing old conservative approach and mentality that still obtains massively. I needed a robust visual vocabulary that is very particular, that I own and is instantly recognizable." Udé believes that despite today's level of globalization, people continue to dress according to their particular culture and lack "global conversation sartorially." ''Sartorial Anarchy'' is at once a reference to and departure from
dandyism A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance and personal grooming, refined language and leisurely hobbies. A dandy could be a self-made man both in person and ''persona'', who emulated the aristocratic style of li ...
. Udé's conceptual use of historical and contemporary clothing attempts to catalog culture rather than to merely reflect fashion trends. Udé constructs the costumes, props and his own pose as a still life, which is then photographed by an assistant. Udé paints the backgrounds for each photograph and completes
post-production Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...
procedures himself. The series was exhibited in ''The Global Africa Project'' at the
Museum of Arts and Design The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), based in Manhattan, New York City, collects, displays, and interprets objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design. In its exhibitions and educational programs, the ...
(MAD) in New York (2010), and in ''Artist/Rebel/Dandy: Men of Fashion'' at the
Rhode Island School of Design Museum The Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD Museum) is an art museum integrated with the Rhode Island School of Design, in Providence, Rhode Island, US. The museum was co-founded with the school in 1877. It is the 20th-largest art m ...
(2013). Udé's series was also exhibited at the Leila Heller Gallery in Chelsea, New York. Entitled ''Style and Sympathies,'' this exhibit presented a selection of his self-portraits from the series. The
Minneapolis Institute of Arts The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the largest art museums in the United Stat ...
,About the Artist: http://ikeude.com/about-the-artist/ the
Sheldon Museum of Art The Sheldon Museum of Art is an art museum in the city of Lincoln, in the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. Previously called the University of Nebraska Art Galleries and later the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, the institution ...
, the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, have acquired works from ''Sartorial Anarchy''.


''The CHIC Index''

''The CHIC Index'' is an online
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
of Udé's portraits that depict stylish people in New York City.Daniel Reynolds, Interview: The Difference Between Fashion And Style With Iké Udé, Editor of the CHIC INDEX, Guest of a Guest, May 16th 2012. http://s1.guestofaguest.net/new-york/interview/interview-the-difference-between-fashion-and-style-with-ike-ude-editor-of-the-chic-index The photos show the range of the individual's signature "looks," and feature, among others, Geoffrey Bradfield,
Robert Verdi Robert Verdi (born August 28, 1968) is an American Entrepreneur and TV personality. He is considered a leading style expert in fashion and home design. Verdi is known as the "friendly fashionista" and gained popularity hosting the home renovatio ...
, Patrick McDonald, Steven Knoll, Somers Farkas and
Jean Shafiroff Jean Shafiroff (née Lutri) is an American philanthropist, author, advocate, and socialite. Serving on multiple national and regional philanthropic boards, she is the ambassador and spokesperson for American Humane , American Humane Feed the Hu ...
.


Publishing


''aRUDE'' magazine

In 1995 Udé created ''aRUDE'' magazine, named in homage to the Jamaican
rude boy Rude boy is a subculture that originated from 1960s Jamaican street culture. In the late 1970s, there was a revival in England of the terms ''rude boy'' and ''rude girl'', among other variations like ''rudeboy'' and ''rudebwoy'', being used t ...
s of 1960s London. The magazine is similar to ''
Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...
'' and features conversations with artists, photographers, and designers as well as editorials on fashion, beauty and style. While the magazine began as a print publication, it has been published solely online since 2009.


''Style File: The World's Most Elegantly Dressed''

Udé is the author of ''Style File: The World's Most Elegantly Dressed'', published by
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...
in 2008. The volume profiles 55 influential arbiters of style. ''Style File'' features writings and contributions from Valerie Steel, director and chief curator at the Museum of the
Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college under the State University of New York, in New York City. It focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It was founded in ...
(F. I. T.), and Harold Koda, the former curator-in-charge of the Costume Institute at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
. The publication provides information on all of the 55 women and men profiled, including
John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. From 2014 to 2024, Galliano was the creative director ...
,
Oscar de la Renta Óscar Arístides Renta Fiallo (22 July 1932 – 20 October 2014), known professionally as Oscar de la Renta, was a Dominican fashion designer. Born in Santo Domingo, he was trained by Cristóbal Balenciaga and Antonio del Castillo. De la Renta ...
,
Carolina Herrera Carolina Herrera (born María Carolina Josefina Pacanins y Niño, 8 January 1939) is a Venezuelan Americans, Venezuelan American fashion designer. Known for her personal style, she founded her namesake brand in 1980. Herrera has designed for va ...
,
Diane von Furstenberg Diane may refer to: People *Diane (given name) Film * ''Diane'' (1929 film), a German silent film * ''Diane'' (1956 film), a historical drama film starring Lana Turner * ''Diane'' (2017 film), a mystery film directed by Michael Mongillo * ''D ...
, Dita Von Teese, and
Christian Louboutin Christian Louboutin (; born 7 January 1964) is a French fashion designer. His stiletto footwear incorporates shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. Initially a freelance designer for fashion houses, he started his shoe salo ...
.


Publications

*''Beyond Decorum: The Photography of Iké Udé''. Cambridge, MA:
MIT Press The MIT Press is the university press of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The MIT Press publishes a number of academic journals and has been a pioneer in the Open Ac ...
, 2000, . Edited by Mark H.C. Bessire and Lauri Firstenberg. *''Style File: The World's Most Elegantly Dressed.''
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...
, 2008. *''Nollywood Portraits: A Radical Beauty''. Skira Rizzoli, 2016, .


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ude, Ike Living people Nigerian contemporary artists 1964 births Photographers from New York City Nigerian photographers Artists from Lagos Nigerian emigrants to the United States