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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.