Smithdown Social: Smithdown Social: BlackFest 2023 Visual Arts Workshop with Oke Ugonna
Date: 19.10.23
Time: 12:00
Location: Smithdown Social, 455 Smithdown Rd , Liverpool, L15 3JL
Oke Ugonna is leading a visual arts workshop exploring the process of creating landscapes and teaching you his methods and techniques.
Oke Ugonna though goes by the artist name Oksy. He would categorise his art practice into three parts landscape, portraits and the work he does on African masks and sculptures. Oke has been presenting work on Merseyside for about ten years after completing studies in Liverpool.
His practice now has moved from very couched in the abstract expressionism of 1950’5 New York to a more figurative style. He is interested in the buildings of Liverpool and the more suburban feel of the Wirral. Oke feels part of the art community in Wirral. Oke was born in Nigeria so part of his heritage is from that culture. He is very interested in the masks of Africa specifically that of the Igbo people of south Nigeria. This is where Oke’s paternal ancestry stems from. He is not only fascinated by how they look but also of their spiritual connotation within the cultures and how they are used in rites and ceremonies. Each mask and sculpture has a visual language that relates to the beliefs and history of the people of the culture. Oke is trying to learn the language of these artworks.
