Nnamdi Okonkwo
Sculptor Nnamdi Okonkwo hopes that his sculptures are, for many, a shrine of hope and inspiration. With each, he emphasizes aspects of our common humanity. N’namdi was born in Eastern Nigeria in 1965, the eldest of three sons.
As a child, Nnamdi was drawn to art. He later realized that his artistic sensibilities were best expressed in the three-dimensional art of sculpture. Around this same time he was introduced to basketball, and standing sic feet nine inches, it suited him well.
After obtaining a Degree in painting in Nigeria, basketball became the avenue for Nnamdi to come to the United States. He was recruited by BYU-Hawaii and played there from 1989-1993. After graduating with a BFA in Sculpture, he immediately enrolled in the graduate program at BYU-Provo, receiving an MFA degree in sculpture in 1997.
Nnamdi sculpted mainly male figures while in Hawaii, drawing his inspiration from classical artists like Auguste Rodin and Michelangelo. But during graduate school, he shifted his focus to a style that felt truer to him and what God wanted him to do.
“There’s something subtle and beautiful that my heart is drawn to, [and] it’s not the outward power of a man; it is the inner strength of a person. The beauty of the soul is really what I’m interested in, and I wanted to express that in art,” Nnamdi said. “I realized that the female figure exemplifies more than the male figure that strength within—the beauty of the spirit within.”
Nnamdi’s art is now featured in galleries and museums and as street installations across the country. His sculptures have won dozens of awards, including “best in show” at art festivals from New York to Texas to Illinois. In 2021, he won “best of sculpture” at the 2021 Red Dot Miami, a show held as part of Miami Art Week.
Nnamdi currently lives in Fayetteville, Georgia with his wife and three children, and also works full time out of my studio. My large-scale monumental work can be seen in individual and public sculpture gardens as well.
“My work is simplified and expressive of an inner largeness and capacity of the human soul. My emphasis is on aspects of our common humanity, which I find beautiful, noble, and even divine. It is my hope that my sculptures are, for many, a shrine of hope and inspiration. ” – N’namdi Okonkwo
