Studio Praxis: Odili Donald Odita

    by Onajídé Shabaka - 14 Dec., 2005

Forthright is a rare word in the contemporary art world. It is a word that I like to associate with Odili Donald Odita. Honest, forthright, with a sense of integrity and dignity that comes through in the sophisticated and subtle, yet deeply engaged nature of his work.

Odita rejects as vacuous, indeed non-existent, the kind of formalist or so-called "pure" abstraction promoted at mid-century especially in America, and insists instead that "all visual materials are culturally grounded, and it is important to recognize where their meaning is derived from." As such he reminds us that the challenge of utopia cannot be escaped through false evacuation of meaning from beauty or form. [From "Artists on Artists" feature in BOMB Magazine, Issue Number 89, Fall 2004.]

Odili Donald Odita has been to Miami on numerous occasions and, on one of trips we had arranged to meet and talk about his art. Finally achieved during Art Basel Miami Beach, 2005, it is presented here as our first podcast Studio Praxis visit.

Click Listen Now! to hear parts 1 & 2

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Part 1

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Part 2

For more images check Jack Shainman Gallery or the artists' website.

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