Odili Donald Odita

Odili Donald Odita (born 18 February 1966) is a Nigerian American abstract painter who lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. and are considered to raise questions about race and society. Day and night, Odita drew until fatigue forced him to fall asleep.

In 1998 Odita earned an ART/OMI, International Artist Residency.

Career

In the 1990s Odita was a critic for Flash Art International, and a consulting editor and writer for NKA, Journal of Contemporary African Art.

Odita is primarily a painter, and also works in photo-based pieces and installation art. He has experimented with a variety of media, but his works since the 1990s are often large-scale paintings on canvas and Plexiglass. He sometimes paints directly on walls to alter the perception of space. Often involving "complex interlocking geometries and contrasting hues", his works are seen as raising significant questions about race and society.

All visual materials are culturally grounded and that it is important to recognize where their meaning is derived from.

Awards 1994: Penny McCall Foundation Grant 2001: Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant 2007: Louis Comfort Tiffany Grant 2007: his large installation Give Me Shelter was featured prominently in the 52nd Venice Biennale exhibition Think With The Senses, Feel With the Mind, curated by Robert Storr.