There are artists who create beautiful work.
Then there are artists who create conversations.
Nefe Ogodo belongs firmly in the second category.
Born in Warri, Nigeria, and now based in Vancouver, Canada, Ogodo has built a body of work that is as visually striking as it is deeply intentional. Every bold colour, every expressive figure and every carefully chosen title reflects his lifelong commitment to telling African stories with honesty, pride and humanity.
His paintings move beyond aesthetics. They explore identity, heritage, resilience, Black beauty and the emotional threads that connect people across cultures. Whether he's celebrating the strength of African women, challenging harmful beauty standards or capturing everyday moments often overlooked, Ogodo paints with a purpose that extends far beyond the canvas.
At a time when conversations about representation, culture and belonging are more important than ever, his work reminds us that art has the power not only to inspire but also to educate, preserve history and reshape perceptions.
In this exclusive interview, IKONIK Editor-in-Chief Oyeta Kokoroko sits down with Nefe Ogodo to discuss the journey behind his art, the philosophy that drives his work, and his mission to reshape how the world sees Africa, one painting at a time.
Before we talk about the art, who is Nefe Ogodo when there's no canvas in front of you?
Well, Nefe Ogodo is a Nigerian artist based in Vancouver, Canada. I studied Art at Auchi Polytechnic in Edo State, Nigeria. I completed my National Diploma in 2006. Not satisfied with the knowledge I had acquired, I went back for my Higher National Diploma and graduated in 2010. Since then, I've been practising as a professional artist.
Without the canvas in front of me, I enjoy photography, reading books, Pan-Africanism, and African culture and tradition. I try to immerse myself in them as much as possible because they are a huge part of who I am.
What one word would define you?
Simplicity. I like simplicity a lot. Life is simple. It's we humans who are making life difficult for ourselves.
Why do you value simplicity so much?
My art is deeply rooted in African culture, tradition, and unity, and those are some of the simplest, most natural parts of life. A lot of people believe you have to go somewhere extraordinary to find inspiration, that you have to reach the clouds before you can create something meaningful. But I believe our everyday lives hold all the inspiration we need.
A simple conversation between two people can become a beautiful painting. Ordinary moments are often the most powerful.
Take me back to the beginning. Where did you grow up, what shaped you, and how did art become such an important part of your life?
I was born in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria. I grew up in Warri. In those days, it was an oil-rich city, with lots of companies and foreigners. And I can vividly remember there were a lot of cultural activities, lots of colours. That's what I grew up with. Studied arts at Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State. Although growing up, you know, African parents would want their child to become a doctor, become an engineer, become a lawyer. My dad wanted me to be a lawyer, but I ended up becoming an artist. I chose what I wanted. Then, growing up, I used to draw a lot. In my primary school days, I would fill all my exercise books with drawings. Sometimes I would pick a movie and start using my drawings to tell, to retell the story of the movie in drawings and, you know. A lot of people, even at that early age, were showing their appreciation. "Oh, can I see your drawing book? Can I see your movie book?" And I did a lot of drawings, drawing walls in my streets and all that. That shaped me and formed the person I am today- those early foundations, early beginnings.
Nefe African Art Studio says, "Art is not decoration, it's identity." What does that mean to you personally, and how do your Nigerian heritage and African identity influence what you create?
Art is beyond just painting. Art is even beyond showcasing culture and heritage. I try to use my art to evoke emotion. And somebody who has never seen Delta State before, has never heard the word Urhobo before, will take a look at my art and say, "Oh, wow, this looks like what I saw in Cuba. Some people will look at my art, and they stick around it, and sometimes I'm wondering, "Why is this guy still there? I mean, like seven minutes." So art is beyond just the aesthetic value. It's beyond just the beauty. I really love the emotion that my art evokes. I love that.
Speaking of emotions, is it more about how you want people to feel when they see your art, or the emotions you experience while creating it?
Not necessarily the emotions I feel while creating it. Art speaks differently to different people. One of my recurring series is The Strength of a Woman. It features a beautifully dressed woman riding a bicycle with several beautifully dressed children.
Some people see the painting and simply think, "This is Africa. This is how people ride bicycles there." Others see something much deeper. They see their mother.
They remember the sacrifices she made raising them, perhaps without a father figure. Some people are moved to tears. That's the kind of emotional connection I'm talking about.
When someone stands in front of a Nefe Ogodo painting, what do you hope they feel or understand about Africa, identity, and Black beauty that they might not have understood before?
Well, when you stand before a Nefe Ogodo painting, I don't want you to be in a hurry to understand it immediately. I want you to take a good look at the painting, take a good look at the colours, the way they relate to each other. Take a look at the flow, take a look, look at the humour. If, after looking at it and you are inquisitive, that's enough for me.
You've spoken about Pan-Africanism and your desire to show the real Africa—the one many people don't get to see. What do you hope people understand about Africa, identity, and Black beauty after experiencing your work?
For many years, Africa's story has been told by others.
Our history and traditions remain some of the most under-documented in the world. So I take it as a call of duty. I take it upon myself to show the world the beauty of Africa, to show the world the strength of Africa. In the Western media today, whenever they are showing Africa, you see war, you see sickness, you see disease, you see poverty. They are over-amplified. There are lots of high-rise buildings in Abuja and Lagos, but you hardly see those things in the Western media. I've painted Lagos cityscapes, and people here in Vancouver have looked at them and said, "This can't be Lagos."
That's because many people still imagine Africa as nothing more than villages, thatched roofs, wildlife, and endless bush.
Through my paintings, I want people to discover another Africa—an Africa filled with colour, culture, unity, resilience, and beauty.
When they leave with a different perspective of the continent, I know the painting has done its job. Because they are not used to that part of Africa. A lot of people, a vast majority of people here today, still believe Africa is just thatched houses and villages and trees, bushes and animals you see. And by the time I begin to open their eyes to what Africa really is- the beauty, the colour, the unity, the community, the tradition- a lot of people begin to see Africa in a different light, in a new light, and that is very important to me
Some of your work has incredibly powerful titles, like From My Black Skin is My Only Crime, to Style Your Hair- to Style Your Afro Hair and Carry it with Arrogant Pride. Can you share one or two pieces that carry especially important stories for you, and take us inside what inspired them?
Carry Your Black Skin and Afro Hair with Arrogant Pride is a series I started a few years ago to advise our African women to be proud of who they are. A lot of African women bleach their skin. A lot of African women use Brazilian hair, Peruvian hair and all that. People have not seen their natural hair for many years. And I use those very beautiful Western-style hair to tell them that you don't need Brazilian hair to be beautiful. Your Afro hair, the texture of your hair is different; it's beautiful, it's unique. And I try to paint these women to look as beautiful as possible. I style the hair sometimes exaggeratedly beautiful just to push my point. And when a woman bleaches her skin, she's killing the melanin, which is the whole essence of life in terms of spirituality, to shield the skin from the sun and all that.
And our Black women, they are bleaching their skin because of this Western narrative that fair is beautiful, Black is ugly. When a black lady looks at the magazine, all the adverts, and they see fair ladies they are kind of intimidated. But I try to use my painting to let them understand and see reasons with me that Black is beautiful. Our hair is beautiful, and we should carry it; we should flaunt it. I look forward to a future where a vast majority of our women are carrying their natural hair. They are even looking for ways to darken their skin, and it becomes globally accepted, not only by our Black women, but even by White women. I look forward to the future where White women are buying Afro hair and wearing it on their heads. I look forward to that.
Other series that I have worked on: My Black Skin Is My Only Crime, and that was a painting I did after the death of George Floyd. And in that painting, it's a very powerful political painting where I listed a lot the names of a lot of Black people who have been systematically killed. I listed all that in it. My Black Skin Is My Only Crime. People like Emmett Till, a lot of names, Steve Biko, people who were taken out by the CIA during the COINTELPRO programs. They are all present in that painting.
Why do you think, for example, Black women need to embrace their skin tone, their hair?
Black women are goddesses. They are the cradle of humanity. A black woman can give birth to any race in the world. They are beautiful as they are. But unfortunately, a lot of our women have been so whitewashed that they begin to hate their skin. When they see a white Jesus, they see a white angel; they see everything good as white and everything bad as black, everything demonic. When they are painting a Jesus, they paint him as a white man. When they are painting Satan, they are painting him as a black man. Those, over the years, have created a lot of cracks, and our African women begin to hate their skin. That's why they bleach it, most of them. They begin to hate their hair. That's why they don't want to see it. So I try to re-educate them and try to let them know that, you know, the right way is keeping your hair as it is. You are beautiful as you are.
Such a great message, very empowering. And how did you come to have this perspective in life?
So I have a friend. This lady, I knew her to be very black, dark and beautiful. Her skin was glowing, and I loved her because of her beautiful black skin. Many years later, when I travelled back to my hometown, my home state, I saw her. She's now a shadow of herself, very fair. And I was like, "What is going on? This is not you. Why are you fair? Why did you bleach your skin?" She was like, "Oh, I, I have lost like three boyfriends to fair girls. You know, my boyfriend left me for a fair girl, and I decided to be fair. Maybe guys are more attracted to fair girls." You know, I won't blame her that much. To some extent, our Black African brothers need to do better. A lot of them also, you know, believe that fair is beauty and the definition of beauty. And, um, a lot of the ladies who are being pressured to want to be fair-skinned- that's part of the reason.
I remember being at the Calabar Carnival in Nigeria in 2014. It's an annual festival held every December, and I used to attend it every year. During that particular carnival, I saw a lady trying to cross a gutter. I think the gap was too wide, and her skirt was too tight, so she missed her footing and fell in.
You needed to see the condition of her skin. She had been bleaching it for well over ten years. It had lost its natural glow and had become extremely fragile. I've seen people fall and bruise their skin before, but this was different. The damage was severe.
When you bleach your skin for a long time, even a simple injury can become difficult to heal. In some cases, the skin becomes so delicate that doctors struggle to stitch it back together properly.
Witnessing experiences like that, along with other things I had seen over the years, inspired me to use my art as a form of advocacy. Through my paintings, I campaign against skin bleaching and encourage people to embrace the beauty of their natural skin.
What brought you to Vancouver, and how was building your artistic practice here shaped both your work and the way people experience it?
I came to Vancouver in 2024. I was invited to exhibit here by the Vancouver Art Foundation. I came for the art exhibition. I stayed for like six months, went back to Nigeria, and decided to return to Vancouver last year. And I have been staying in Vancouver from that time till now. When I, initially got to Vancouver, a lot of people told me, you need to paint nature. You need to paint things that people here will buy, you know? So it's kind of challenging, a complex situation where I find myself in a new environment, and I am trying to introduce my art to these people. Trying to show them African culture and tradition. And you know, a lot of people advise me to just paint what they have here. Paint the nature, paint the rocks, paint the river, you know, paint animals. But I decided to be true to my authentic self and show them African culture. And gradually, a lot of people are accepting my art, and they are resonating with my story. I can proudly say that my art so far here in Vancouver has been in over two hundred homes. And I am- wow, and this is, you know, important to me. And it means a lot to me.
Where did most of these customers come from? Did they meet you at a pop-up or?
Yeah. In 2024, I did a lot of pop-up exhibitions, and sometimes I just take my art, my canvas and easel to the streets to paint. Then I put some of my art on display. As I paint in the streets, people by will stop and make a purchase. But one of the places where I made a lot of sales was the African Descent Festival in 2024. I made a lot of sales at that festival, and some people bought my painting, went home, reached back out to me, and came to my studio to look for a bigger piece to buy.
How's the journey so far? What is one thing that you're most proud of?
One of the things I can say I'm the most proud of was the exhibition I did in 2023. It's Beyond the Return. It was an exhibition in Ghana, and it was organised in the science centre in Accra.
And Beyond the Return was a big exhibition, like the biggest names in Ghana- the biggest, oldest artists in Ghana were featured in that exhibition. And towards the end of that exhibition, the First Lady of Ghana came to attend the event and to take a look at the exhibition. She bought one of my paintings, and after buying the painting, I was invited to the Flagstaff House of Ghana. myself and some other Ghanaian artists that their works equally purchased by the First Lady of Ghana. We were also invited to the Government House of Ghana, and there was a tour. They showed us around, showed us around the Presidential Villa of Ghana, and I was very, very, very proud of myself on that occasion.
Also, my exhibition in Vancouver 2024 was my first international exhibition held in North Africa that I was present. Although I have had many other international exhibitions, in all those exhibitions I've always sent my paintings over, and they exhibited my art on my behalf. But this time around, I was so proud of being in Vancouver with a lot of audience. A lot of people in 2024 at Art Vancouver, you know, came to me to ask me questions, press and all that. It was a fantastic experience.
So I've watched people stop in front of your paintings, ask questions, connect with the stories, and even take pieces home. Why do you think people form such a personal connection with your work, and what do you think someone is really taking home when they collect a Nefe Ogodo?
Yeah, that's an interesting one. So, I love the fact that my painting is on display sometimes on the streets. We are in such a very busy world where people are very time-conscious. For someone to stop and take a look at my art, and go around my art being displayed and choose a painting that they like and buy and purchase it, take it to their home, it means a lot to me. A lot of people have given me feedback about my art. Different people with different feedback. "Oh, this painting looks so much like my hometown. These dancers,, the attire they are putting on," Urhobo dancer, for instance. An Indian lady came to me, "Do you know men in my, community tie their wrapper this way? They tie wrapper around their waist like the Urhobo people tie their wrapper around their waist." You know? And they buy the painting. It gives me a lot of joy
What are you building toward now? If people meet you again five years from today, what do you hope has happened for Nefe Ogodo and Nefe African Art Studio?
Yeah, in the next five years I'm looking at becoming a popular artist, a global name. I am working towards showing my work in bigger art galleries in America, in US, in Venice, bigger exhibitions in museums around the world. That is what I look forward to achieving in the next five years.
Twenty years from now, someone is standing in front of a Nefe Ogodo painting. They may never have met you, and you're not there to explain it. What do you hope they understand about you, your culture, and themselves? And above all, what do you hope they feel?
Standing before a Nefe Ogodo, I don't want them to be in a hurry to understand the painting at once or to want to read meaning into it at once. I want them to take their time to take a look at the painting, study the flow, study the color, study the movement, and if it evokes some kind of emotion, or if it makes them want to know more about the painting, that means a lot to me. That means the painting is kind of speaking for itself. I want people, when they see my painting I want them to see the time, the effort, the story behind the art.
There is a series that I started in 2022 called Dear Daughter. It's a painting where I will paint a beautiful teenage girl, and I'll write her lots of advice on the painting. That series is one of my finest series because people will see it and be like, "Oh, my daughter must see this," "Oh, my wife must see this." And that is what I want my painting to portray. That is what I want people to take home when they take a look at my art.
Your message for an artist who's starting: what would be your advice for them?
I would advise them to take their practice very seriously. It's not an easy thing at all to be an artist. There are many months that you will be broke as an artist, but don't give up. Keep on practising. Keep on painting. There are days when you'll be short of art supplies. Don't let that stop you. Some of the finest discoveries, or I can say some of my finest masterpieces, are works I did when I was without art supplies. I remember when I was doing my national youth service in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, I couldn't find an art supply store. That was in 2011. I couldn't find oil colour. Then I was told I had to go to Lagos if I wanted to get art supplies. So what did I do? I got a pen, and I started using a pen to do some black and white work.
And that black-and-white work was so great, so unique, that collectors saw those paintings, and they were like, "Oh, just throw away all your colours and focus on black and white."
I remember there was a period where I couldn't get money to buy art supplies, and I was using fabrics as a medium to paint. So the journey will always be very rough at the beginning. But don't stop, don't give up. Keep on working, keep on pushing, keep on trying, keep on painting. Don't stop painting. With time, everything will fall into place for you as an upcoming artist, and everything will be okay. And again, a lot of upcoming artists want to start selling their art in thousands; it takes time. Don't be in a hurry to want to sell your work in thousands. You have to start with baby steps and grow. You have to build from the bottom to the top and not from the top to the bottom.
As our conversation draws to a close, one thing becomes unmistakably clear: Nefe Ogodo isn't simply creating paintings; he's creating perspective.
His canvases invite us to slow down, question what we've been taught and embrace a richer understanding of Africa, its people and its stories. Every brushstroke is an act of preservation. Every exhibition is an opportunity to reshape perception. Every conversation sparked by his work becomes part of a larger movement to reclaim narratives that have too often been told by others.
Whether his art hangs in a gallery in Vancouver, a collector's home or one day in museums across the world, his mission remains the same: to ensure that African stories are told with authenticity, dignity and pride.
At IKONIK, we believe the world's most compelling stories are found in people who dare to create differently, think boldly and leave a lasting impact. Nefe Ogodo embodies that spirit.
This is more than an interview.
It's a reminder that art can challenge assumptions, preserve culture and connect humanity one painting at a time.
Discover more visionary founders, creators and changemakers shaping culture, business and innovation around the world at IKONIK.
