Odili Donald Odita
American, born Nigeria, 1966
Odita was born in Enugu, Nigeria. Since graduating from Bennington College in 1990 Odita has been developing his body of work, embracing and critiquing the Modernist tradition. His vast, animated expanses of fractured, rhythmic planes, equally informed by television test band patterns, African textiles, post-colonial discourse, sensory overload and digital technology, speak to a contemporary experience of dislocation and de-centeredness. Odita has had numerous exhibitions around the world and was included in the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007. He has had solo exhibitions at the Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University; the Jack Shainman Gallery and The Studio Museum in Harlem, both in New York City; and the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati.
“I conceived colors so they would evoke a fabric of vibrant and varying thoughts, feelings and considerations. People entering the building are coming in with serious matters, with the weight of the world on their minds. I wanted them to have an entryway that would wash away the weight of those worries and, at the same time, for them to be confronted with the fact that they are approaching a tapestry of different people, nations, ideas and colors. In some ways, this is a flag of many, representing people of all different positions. Hopefully onlookers can take in the colors of the fabric and the varying perspectives of member countries to work together in a unified and cohesive manner. ”
