Ada Udechukwu

Ada Udechukwu (born 1960) is a Nigerian artist and poet associated with the Nsukka group.

Born in Enugu, Udechukwu was the daughter of an Igbo father and an American mother. She grew up in Nigeria, moving with her family to the United States at the start of the Biafran War and returning when it was over. She was not formally trained in visual arts, and obtained her bachelor's degree in English and literature at the University of Nigeria in 1981. A few years later she began to paint on fabric, painting designs on clothing using a restrained linear style. In 1988 she returned to drawing on paper, using ink and watercolor. These drawings are more personal than her other work, reflecting her attempts to balance being a wife and mother and an artist. She also shows an awareness of her multicultural heritage.

Udechukwu considers herself a poet first, and continues to write and publish.

References

* [http://africa.si.edu/exhibits/ada.htm Bio from the National Museum of African Art]