Born in 1969 in the midst
of the Biafran War, Ebele Okoye is a member of LEGACY (A historical
and Environmental Interest Group of Nigeria) and UAFEP (United Artists
for Environmental Protection). She trained in the art department of
the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu where she came
in contact with some of Nigeria's most exciting artists of the 1990s--Nsikak
Essien, Chris Afuba, and Chris Echeta.
Fluent in Igbo, English,
and German (which she learnt in Nigeria), Okoye is currently in an African
Studies program in Germany after working in the arts field in Nigeria.
Upon completing her training at IMT, Okoye worked with a number of advertising
agencies-- Hammerhead Interiors, Goldmark, and Web Creations--before
becoming a freelance cartoonist. From 1990 to 1992, she produced a body
of satirical works for a number of Nigerian women's magazines--Classique,
Poise and Today's Choice.
Okoye has had a number
of group and solo exhibitions before leaving Nigeria to continue her
studies in Germany. Her solo exhibitions--New Culture, Realities,
and Storms of the Heart, were critically received as indicated
by the press reviews in major Nigerian newpapers--The Guardian, This
Day, Daily Times & Sunday Times, and Champion. Okoye has also participated
in group exhibitions. The last group show she featured in, before her
departure to Germany, was Woman to Woman. The exhibition opened
at the Goethe Institute in Lagos in July 2000. Conceived with political
goals in mind, the exhibition featured only the works of women artists.
Some of the works addressed environmental themes and some focused on
issues of women's reproductive health, such as the prevalent problem
of high maternal mortality. No doubt, the frank and brutal character
of some of the works generated intense controversy.
