Biography
EVA OBODO WAS BORN IN NIGERIA IN 1963. HE IS A VISUAL ARTIST WHO WORKS IN PAINTING, SCULPTURE AND MIXED MEDIA PRACTISES. HE LIVES AND WORKS IN NSUKKA, NIGERIA. 
 
He focuses on fibre and charcoal as conceptual mediums, creating relief paintings and free standing sculptures that are created from processes of wrapping, tying and bundling. Incorporating discarded materials such as charcoal and jute fibre, Obodo creates visual narratives that evoke the complex socio-political and economic structures that frame contemporary culture.
 
Obodo’s charcoal works reference issues of natural resources and development in Nigeria, while his fibre works utilise nylon threads that are tied, rolled and wrapped to create colorful visual metaphors. Together, they speak to the connections between individuals and their social relations woven against economic and political backgrounds, connected by community, nation and the global economy through the trade of goods and ideas.
 
Eva Obodo holds an MFA and a PhD from the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and presently teaches sculpture and art education at the same university. He was formerly a lecturer at Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, where he taught art history, sculpture and drawing for several years before joining the University of Nigeria.
 
In 2013, Obodo received the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship and was a finalist for the 2025 Norval Sovereign African Art Prize. His works are included in the collections of the National Museum of Unity and the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (Nigeria). Alongside his solo exhibitions, he has participated in several international group shows, notably the Osaka Triennale (Japan) and Dak’Art (Senegal). AFIKARIS Gallery is currently presenting his first solo exhibition in Europe, And We Hired a Carpenter to Patch the Cloth, on view until January 3, 2026.
Works
  • Eva Obodo. Nigerian Artist. Contemporary African Art. Nsukka school. Large-scale installations. Charcoal and rope sculptures. Fabric, burlap, and natural fibers. Tactile textures. Material hybridity. Memory and identity. Cultural narratives. Contemporary conceptual frameworks. Craftsmanship. Resilience. Contemporary culture
    Lace II, 2025
  • Eva Obodo. Nigerian Artist. Contemporary African Art. Nsukka school. Large-scale installations. Charcoal and rope sculptures. Fabric, burlap, and natural fibers. Tactile textures. Material hybridity. Memory and identity. Cultural narratives. Contemporary conceptual frameworks. Craftsmanship. Resilience. Contemporary culture
    Pickman, 2025
  • Eva Obodo, And We Hired a Carpenter to Patch the Cloth, 2024
    And We Hired a Carpenter to Patch the Cloth, 2024
  • Eva Obodo. Nigerian Artist. Contemporary African Art. Nsukka school. Large-scale installations. Charcoal and rope sculptures. Fabric, burlap, and natural fibers. Tactile textures. Material hybridity. Memory and identity. Cultural narratives. Contemporary conceptual frameworks. Craftsmanship. Resilience. Contemporary culture
    Meltdown, 2024
  • Eva Obodo. Nigerian Artist. Contemporary African Art. Nsukka school. Large-scale installations. Charcoal and rope sculptures. Fabric, burlap, and natural fibers. Tactile textures. Material hybridity. Memory and identity. Cultural narratives. Contemporary conceptual frameworks. Craftsmanship. Resilience. Contemporary culture
    Script II, 2022
  • Eva Obodo. Nigerian Artist. Contemporary African Art. Nsukka school. Large-scale installations. Charcoal and rope sculptures. Fabric, burlap, and natural fibers. Tactile textures. Material hybridity. Memory and identity. Cultural narratives. Contemporary conceptual frameworks. Craftsmanship. Resilience. Contemporary culture
    Rush Hour, 2017-2025
  • Eva Obodo. Nigerian Artist. Contemporary African Art. Nsukka school. Large-scale installations. Charcoal and rope sculptures. Fabric, burlap, and natural fibers. Tactile textures. Material hybridity. Memory and identity. Cultural narratives. Contemporary conceptual frameworks. Craftsmanship. Resilience. Contemporary culture
    Muse I, 2017
  • Eva Obodo. Nigerian Artist. Contemporary African Art. Nsukka school. Large-scale installations. Charcoal and rope sculptures. Fabric, burlap, and natural fibers. Tactile textures. Material hybridity. Memory and identity. Cultural narratives. Contemporary conceptual frameworks. Craftsmanship. Resilience. Contemporary culture
    Goose and Golden Egg II, 2021
  • Eva Obodo. Nigerian Artist. Contemporary African Art. Nsukka school. Large-scale installations. Charcoal and rope sculptures. Fabric, burlap, and natural fibers. Tactile textures. Material hybridity. Memory and identity. Cultural narratives. Contemporary conceptual frameworks. Craftsmanship. Resilience. Contemporary culture
    Crosses Too Many To Carry , 2017
  • Eva Obodo, Glow, 2024
    Glow, 2024
  • Eva Obodo. Nigerian Artist. Contemporary African Art. Nsukka school. Large-scale installations. Charcoal and rope sculptures. Fabric, burlap, and natural fibers. Tactile textures. Material hybridity. Memory and identity. Cultural narratives. Contemporary conceptual frameworks. Craftsmanship. Resilience. Contemporary culture
    Parcels, 2024
  • Eva Obodo. Nigerian Artist. Contemporary African Art. Nsukka school. Large-scale installations. Charcoal and rope sculptures. Fabric, burlap, and natural fibers. Tactile textures. Material hybridity. Memory and identity. Cultural narratives. Contemporary conceptual frameworks. Craftsmanship. Resilience. Contemporary culture
    Serious Business, 2020
  • Eva Obodo. Nigerian Artist. Contemporary African Art. Nsukka school. Large-scale installations. Charcoal and rope sculptures. Fabric, burlap, and natural fibers. Tactile textures. Material hybridity. Memory and identity. Cultural narratives. Contemporary conceptual frameworks. Craftsmanship. Resilience. Contemporary culture
    Memory, 2024
Exhibitions
Art Fairs
Press