[Odili Donald Odita] is best known for his large-scale canvases with kaleidoscopic patterns and vibrant hues, which he uses to reflect the human condition. For Odita, color in itself has the possibility of mirroring the complexity of the world as much as it has the potential for being distinct. In his paintings, we see color interwoven and mixed, becoming an active agent in representing the essential power that light has in identifying the entirety of our world. He thinks of his colors as agents to express thoughts, ideas, and transformational change. Much of his color selection is based on personal memories and created intuitively by hand-mixing, so that no two shades are ever repeated.From the Artist
Why is the title Cut?
The title of this piece refers to the situation that occurs diagonally through the middle of the work. The dramatic juxtaposition of the two spaces creates a dynamic situation of visual slippage. On one hand, I am making reference to the question of unity within a visual space. At the same time, I am commenting on the display of difference, and how differences can be coexistent.
—From Brandywine Workshop and Archives records
In my paintings, I am dealing with memory, the presence and absence of experiences removed; nostalgia for a lost past, and the hope for something new and better.
—Excerpted from https://www.artsy.net/artwork/odili-donald-odita-cut-1, accessed 7-6-2021
Painter, printmaker, and muralist Odili Donald Odita was born in Enugu, Nigeria. He received a BFA from Ohio State University, Columbus, and an MFA from Bennington College, VT. His abstract work explores color both in the figurative historical con...
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