Amos Okosun Odion

Amos Okosun Odion, a Nigerian sculptor, was born in 1943 in Nigeria. After undergoing a four-year apprenticeship, he worked with late painter and sculptor Erhabor Emokpae in his studio.

A study on Odion’s works shows the artist’s interest in movement, with emphasis also placed on angular direction traceable through the axis line. You would find this in his figurative works, where volume helps to define the areas that connect contours.

The carved-wood sculptures of Amos Odion are notable for their proportion. They are based on the human figure and sometimes refer to abstract forms. Odion starts his carving process from a single woodblock, making figures that are often characterized by a texturized surface, achieved by the use of the chisel.

Apart from Odion’s abstract works, which convey a sense of humor by their stocky proportion, the well-detailed features of his figurative pieces embody cultural preferences and individuality that addresses known mainstream sculptural themes.

His wood sculptures today adorn many notable public buildings such as Economic Commission for Africa Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Unilever Headquarters, London, etc. He had a solo show to his credit, which held at Goethe Institute in 1981.