Olu Oguibe
Encyclopedia
Olu Oguibe is an artist and public intellectual. Professor of Art
and African-American Studies and interim Director of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Connecticut, Storrs
, Oguibe is a senior fellow of the Vera List Center for Art and Politics at the New School, New York
and the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, DC. He is also an art historian, art curator, and leading contributor to postcolonial theory and new information technology studies.
, Nigeria
, Oguibe was educated in Nigeria and England. In 1986, he earned a degree in Fine and Applied Arts from the University of Nigeria
. In 1992, he received a PhD in art history from the School of Oriental and African Studies
University of London
for his thesis 'Uzo Egonu: An African Artist in the West'.
before moving to the United States. To date his art has been shown in major museums and galleries around the world including the Whitney Museum of American Art
; Whitechapel Gallery
and the Barbican Center, London; Migros Museum, Zurich; the Irish Museum of Modern Art
, and Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht, among many others; as well as in the Havana, Busan, and Johannesburg
biennials, and most recently at the 2007 Venice Biennial. His public art works may be found in Germany, Japan and Korea. Oguibe has previously taught in several colleges including the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of South Florida
where he held the Stuart Golding Endowed Chair in African Art.
, London, in 2001; Authentic/Ex-centric: Africa in and out of Africa for the 49th Venice Biennale
in 2001, and Five Continents and One City: 3rd International Salon of Painting at the Museo de la Ciudad, Mexico City in 2000. He has served as advisor for the Dakar, Johannesburg, and Havana biennials and as critic-in-residence at the Art Omi International artists’ residency.
, Art History
and its Methods, Art in Theory
1900-2000, The Visual Culture
Reader, The Third Text Reader on Art and Culture, The Black British Culture and Society
Reader, and Theory in Contemporary Art: From 1985 to the Present, as well as numerous serials such as Frieze, Flash Art International, Art Journal, Texte zur Kunst, Zum Thema, Third Text and Criterios. His most recent books include Reading the Contemporary: African Art from Theory to the Marketplace (MIT Press, 2000) and The Culture Game (University of Minnesota Press, 2004).
He is a naturalized American citizen and makes his home in the historic town of Rockville, Connecticut
.
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and African-American Studies and interim Director of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Connecticut, Storrs
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
, Oguibe is a senior fellow of the Vera List Center for Art and Politics at the New School, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
in Washington, DC. He is also an art historian, art curator, and leading contributor to postcolonial theory and new information technology studies.
Early life and education
Born on October 14, 1964 in AbaAba
- Geographic toponymns :* Aba, Abia, a city in Nigeria and former second capital of Biafra* Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, prefecture in Sichuan, China** Aba County, county in Aba Prefecture, Sichuan, China** Aba, Sichuan, main town in Aba County...
, Nigeria
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...
, Oguibe was educated in Nigeria and England. In 1986, he earned a degree in Fine and Applied Arts from 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 1992, he received a PhD in art history from the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
for his thesis 'Uzo Egonu: An African Artist in the West'.
Art and Teaching
Oguibe taught critical theory at Goldsmiths CollegeGoldsmiths College
Goldsmiths, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom which specialises in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute...
before moving to the United States. To date his art has been shown in major museums and galleries around the world including the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
; Whitechapel Gallery
Whitechapel Gallery
The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, it was founded in 1901 as one of the first publicly-funded galleries for temporary exhibitions in London, and it has a long...
and the Barbican Center, London; Migros Museum, Zurich; the Irish Museum of Modern Art
Irish Museum of Modern Art
The Irish Museum of Modern Art also known as IMMA, is Ireland's leading national institution exhibiting and collecting modern and contemporary art. The museum opened in May 1991 and is located in Royal Hospital Kilmainham, a 17th-century building near Heuston Station to the west of Dublin's city...
, and Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht, among many others; as well as in the Havana, Busan, and Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
biennials, and most recently at the 2007 Venice Biennial. His public art works may be found in Germany, Japan and Korea. Oguibe has previously taught in several colleges including the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
where he held the Stuart Golding Endowed Chair in African Art.
International Curator
He has also served as curator or co-curator for numerous exhibitions. These include the 2nd Biennale of Ceramics in Contemporary Art in Genoa and Albisola, Italy in 2003; Vidarte 2002: International Video and Media Art Festival at the Palacio Postal, Mexico City in 2002; Century City at the Tate ModernTate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
, London, in 2001; Authentic/Ex-centric: Africa in and out of Africa for the 49th Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
in 2001, and Five Continents and One City: 3rd International Salon of Painting at the Museo de la Ciudad, Mexico City in 2000. He has served as advisor for the Dakar, Johannesburg, and Havana biennials and as critic-in-residence at the Art Omi International artists’ residency.
Writer and Critic
Olu Oguibe’s critical and theoretical writings have appeared in several key volumes including The Dictionary of ArtArt
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, Art History
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
and its Methods, Art in Theory
Theory
The English word theory was derived from a technical term in Ancient Greek philosophy. The word theoria, , meant "a looking at, viewing, beholding", and referring to contemplation or speculation, as opposed to action...
1900-2000, The Visual Culture
Visual culture
Visual Culture as an academic subject is a field of study that generally includes some combination of cultural studies, art history, critical theory, philosophy, and anthropology, by focusing on aspects of culture that rely on visual images.- Overview :...
Reader, The Third Text Reader on Art and Culture, The Black British Culture and Society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
Reader, and Theory in Contemporary Art: From 1985 to the Present, as well as numerous serials such as Frieze, Flash Art International, Art Journal, Texte zur Kunst, Zum Thema, Third Text and Criterios. His most recent books include Reading the Contemporary: African Art from Theory to the Marketplace (MIT Press, 2000) and The Culture Game (University of Minnesota Press, 2004).
He is a naturalized American citizen and makes his home in the historic town of Rockville, Connecticut
Rockville, Connecticut
Rockville is a census-designated place and a village of the town of Vernon in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,708 at the 2000 census...
.