NNENNA OKORE featured in Blouin Art + Auction as “Wise Buys : 50 Women Artists Worth Watching”.
NNENNA OKORE b. 1975 NIGERIA
Nigerian-born, Chicago-based Okore produces tactile works that explore the manner in which abject materials are intertwined in our daily lives. Working with organic media such as burlap, clay, and wax as well as discarded rope and newspaper, Okore weaves, twists, sews and rolls elements to create pieces that are regenerative in nature and evocative of textures found in the natural world. For “Earthbound”, 2011, a trip of earth-toned wall works, Okore wove myriad ceramic beads and cubes onto a burlap ground that was then folded and formed. For “No Condition is Permanent”, 2013, the artist used newsprint and acrylic to create a transformative work reminiscent of a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. “I am astounded by natural phenomenon that cause things to become weathered, dilapidated, and lifeless,” she has said, “events subtly captured in the fluid and delicate nature of life.” At auction, her works have commanded in excess of $20,000, a figure in line with her primary market prices, which range from $8,000 to $30,000. Okore’s installations have a highly tactile and sensual quality as well as a powerful presence.
Morton Fine Art: curator's notes 