Obiora Udechukwu at 80: Artists Honour a Pioneer of Nigerian Art

Artists, scholars and former students gathered in Lagos on November 7, 2026, to celebrate Professor Obiora Udechukwu’s 80th birthday and reflect on his influence on Nigerian art. The symposium at the Alliance Française/Mike Adenuga Centre explored his work as a painter, poet, teacher and scholar, and his role in the Nsukka School and the Uli artistic tradition. The event also featured a discussion of Iheanyi Onwuegbucha’s book, *The Aka Circle and the Making of Contemporary African Art*. Speakers examined how the collective’s artists used their work to engage with Nigeria’s political and social history. Former students and artists from different generations shared how Udechukwu encouraged experimentation and connected artistic practice with cultural heritage and social responsibility. Their accounts showed how his teaching and ideas continue to influence Nigerian art.

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