Ada Udechukwu
Encyclopedia
Ada Udechukwu is a Nigeria
n artist and poet associated with the Nsukka group
.
Born in Enugu
, Udechukwu was the daughter of an Igbo
father and an American
mother. She grew up in Nigeria, moving with her family to the United States at the start of the Biafran War and returning when it was over. She was not formally trained in visual arts, and obtained her bachelor's degree in English
and literature at the University of Nigeria
in 1981. A few years later she began to paint on fabric, painting designs on clothing using a restrained linear style. In 1988 she returned to drawing on paper, using ink and watercolor. These drawings are more personal than her other work, reflecting her attempts to balance being a wife and mother and an artist. She also shows an awareness of her multicultural heritage.
Udechukwu considers herself a poet first, and continues to write and publish.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n artist and poet associated with the Nsukka group
Nsukka group
The Nsukka group is the name given to a group of Nigerian artists who were associated with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in the 1970s. They are known, as a group, for working to revive the practice of uli and incorporate its designs into contemporary art using media such as acrylic paint,...
.
Born in Enugu
Enugu
Enugu is the capital of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in the southeastern area of Nigeria and is largely populated by members of the Igbo ethnic group. The city has a population of 722,664 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. The name Enugu is derived from the two Igbo words Enu Ugwu...
, Udechukwu was the daughter of an Igbo
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
father and an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mother. She grew up in Nigeria, moving with her family to the United States at the start of the Biafran War and returning when it was over. She was not formally trained in visual arts, and obtained her bachelor's degree in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and literature at the University of Nigeria
University of Nigeria
The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. Founded in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has four campuses – Nsukka, Enugu and Ituku-Ozalla – located in Enugu State and one in Aba, Abia...
in 1981. A few years later she began to paint on fabric, painting designs on clothing using a restrained linear style. In 1988 she returned to drawing on paper, using ink and watercolor. These drawings are more personal than her other work, reflecting her attempts to balance being a wife and mother and an artist. She also shows an awareness of her multicultural heritage.
Udechukwu considers herself a poet first, and continues to write and publish.