Monday, February 25, 2013

Art Personality - Ndidi Dike



Ndidi Dike represents the very best and pride of the Nigerian female on the art scene and indeed a gift of the beauty of Nigerian art to the world. She is a full-time professional artist; she is multi-talented and easily identified as a sculptor, mixed media specialist, a painter, art consultant, cultural activist, ceramist, and textile designer. A 1984 graduate of the Fine and Applied Art Department of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ndidi also has a diploma in Music Education. Her works, which are mostly sculptures rendered in woodcarving, are usually characterised by a combination of traditional Nigerian motifs and techniques, symbols and patterns to create profound political and social commentaries. 

Dike's Sculpture influenced by Uli design
 
Right from her training days Ndidi Dike has always been interested in exploring how different media can be incorporated into a traditional painterly style, and this is what has modelled her performance as a multi-talented artist working and expressing herself in diverse media techniques. On the surface however, Ndidi Dike's works draw a lot from the artistic styles of one of her mentors and lecturer at the Nsukka art school - El Anatsui. Her works of sculpture bear those marks of influence as she also employs the burning technique and the use of the chain saw to produce her works. But over the years, in her creative adventures Ndidi has carved a special niche for herself, establishing her mark as an authority in her genre and style of art.


By: Morgan Nwanguma

All in Your Eyes