April 1, 2020

Text: Annie Block

Odili Donald Odita Debuts New Work at Jack Shainman Gallery Spring Exhibition

“I cannot make a color twice.” This statement comes from Odili Donald Odita, whose energetic, abstract paintings have sociopolitical references. In fact, he was recently commissioned to create a large mural for the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice in New York. He goes on to say: “I’m asking the viewer to look into themselves and reflect upon the con­sequence of actions relating to gender and identity.” Odita is referring to “Mirror,” his upcoming spring exhi­bition at Jack Shainman Gallery, across town from the FFCSJ. The show is composed of a new body of work featuring more than a dozen paintings he’s done from 2018 to this year, some nearly eight feet tall. But all utilize color and pattern as a commentary on the complexity of the world—and the human condition.

Up next: Michael Hsu Expands His Office of Architecture With Launch of Houston Studio

Mirror 2, a 92-inch-high acrylic and latex on wood by Odili Donald Odita, appears in the artist’s solo exhibition at New York’s Jack Shainman Gallery, April 2 to May 9. Photography courtesy of Odili Donald Odita and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
His acrylic on canvas Flower. Photography courtesy of Odili Donald Odita and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Dukes of Hazard in acrylic-latex wall paint on wood panel. Photography courtesy of Odili Donald Odita and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Nka, his acrylic latex on aluminum-core fabricated wood panel with reconstituted wood veneer. Photography courtesy of Odili Donald Odita and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
The acrylic on canvas Another Space. Photography courtesy of Odili Donald Odita and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

> See more from the March 2020 issue of Interior Design

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