Downtown Focus
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‘They Are Waiting’ Sculpture of Three Women Celebrates a ‘Largeness of Soul’
Artist Nnamdi Okonkwo with 'They Are Waiting'
In Life, We All Wait Nnamdi Okonkwo, the Nigerian-born artist who created They Are Waiting, said he was inspired by life experiences, and also by observations made while working toward his Masters of Fine Arts in sculpture at BYU-Provo.
"It seemed like everyone was waiting for something to happen," he said. "People were waiting to graduate, waiting to get a job, or waiting to get married. In the sculpture, I use the three women to interpret this in a more universal way, showing that in life, people wait. We’ve all gone through periods of intense waiting."
A Largeness of Soul Okonkwo, who depicts women in much of his artwork, said his rotund figures also symbolize "The abundance of life and an outward manifestation of a largeness of soul." He likes the fluid lines and simple, elegant shapes embodied in the female form, and in the arrangement of their large, round shapes he finds his ideal of order, balance and beauty.
Okonkwo’s unique depictions of women are also influenced by his native culture. "In Nigeria, womanhood is venerated. The varied emotions that my sculpture captures reassure the keen viewer of the depth and the beauty of the human experience."
Long Journey to Downtown Mesa Born in Eastern Nigeria in 1965, Okonkwo has always been drawn to art. His initial interest was in drawing and painting, but at the age of 17 he realized his artistic sensibilities were best expressed in the three-dimensional art of sculpture.
He first formally studied art at the Institute of Management and Technology in Enugu, Nigeria. He received a diploma in painting, although by this time he had developed an even greater affinity for sculpture.
A man of many talents, it was actually Okonkwo’s love of basketball, not art, that led him to the United States. The 6’ 9" athlete was recruited to play center and forward by BYU-Hawaii in 1989-93. He graduated in Hawaii with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture and later earned a Masters of Fine Arts from BYU-Provo.
They Are Waiting is not unique to Mesa. The City of Loveland, Colo., purchased a cast of They Are Waiting, which is now displayed in Benson Sculpture Park. Okonkwo's sculptures have also been purchased by the City of Springville, Utah for placement in front of the city council building, by the City of Vacaville, Calif., for a public outdoor location, and by a long list of additional public, private and non-profit entities across the country.
For more information on Nnamdi Okonkwo, please visit his website at www.NnamdiArt.com.
1/2/09
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