5 Must-Read Texts by or About Uche Okeke
Published 25 December 2025 in The Legacy
Uche Okeke Legacy Editorial
From manifestos to monographs - the writings that shaped and explained a movement.
Whether you're studying African modernism, researching the Nsukka School, or just discovering Uche Okeke’s work, these five texts are foundational. They reveal Okeke not only as a visual artist but as a thinker, educator, and cultural architect.
1. Art in Development – A Nigerian Perspective
By Uche Okeke (1982)
Publisher: Asele Institute Press
A rare and vital manifesto in which Okeke outlines his philosophy of art as a social and developmental force. He challenges colonial education, proposes an alternative rooted in indigenous knowledge systems, and articulates his enduring concept of Natural Synthesis.
Why it matters: It’s Okeke’s clearest self-articulation - required reading for understanding his politics, pedagogy, and aesthetic goals.
Where to find it: Look for the 1982 edition in university libraries, or purchase the republished version from Iwalewa Books.
“The urgent task before the African artist today is to identify the socio-cultural relevance of his work and to seek out effective ways of reflecting the historical and contemporary experiences of his people.”
- Uche Okeke
Uche Okeke preparing for the JOS Solo Exhibition, 1956, Asele Institute Archive
2. The Nsukka Artists and Nigerian Contemporary Art
Edited by Simon Ottenberg (1997)
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press
A richly illustrated collection of essays, interviews, and artist statements on the Nsukka School, featuring Uche Okeke, Obiora Udechukwu, El Anatsui, and others. Includes critical assessments of Uli revivalism and Okeke’s influence as department head at UNN.
Why it matters: Puts Okeke in the wider context of postcolonial art education and his role in cultivating Nigeria’s most influential contemporary movement.
Where to find it: Available through major university libraries or purchase it second-hand on book platforms.
3. The Art Society and the Making of Postcolonial Modernism in Nigeria
Essay by Chika Okeke-Agulu (2010)
Published in: South Atlantic Quarterly 109(3), Summer 2010
This peer‑reviewed essay examines the Zaria Art Society — a group formed by Nigerian art students at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology in Zaria (1957–61). Okeke‑Agulu argues that the Society’s work represents the first significant manifestation of postcolonial modernism in Nigeria, igniting a crucial moment in the rise of a modern, indigenous aesthetic response to colonial influence.
Why it matters: It establishes the Zaria Art Society as the intellectual birthplace of Nigeria’s postcolonial modernism, and unpacks how their ideology of cultural reclamation, particularly through advocacy for indigenous forms, established a radical new path for African modernism. It positions Okeke and the Zaria Art Society as just artists, but as cultural theorist and nation-builders.
Where to find it: Find it in South Atlantic Quarterly (Duke University Press), available via JSTOR, Project MUSE, or most academic library databases.
Bruce Onobrakpeya, Jesus Before Pilate - Artist Proof, Linoprint, 13 x 25.2 Inches, 1969, Asele Institute Collection
4. Nigerian Artists: A Who’s Who & Bibliography
By Janet L. Stanley (1993)
Publisher: Smithsonian Libraries
Though not exclusively about Okeke, this reference text includes detailed bibliographic records of his exhibitions, essays, interviews, and archival holdings.
Why it matters: An indispensable guide for researchers looking to trace Okeke’s full career footprint through catalogues, journals, and exhibitions worldwide.
Where to find it: Accessible at libraries affiliated with African art studies, online sources, or through interlibrary loan.
5. Postcolonial Modernism: Art and Decolonization in Twentieth-Century Nigeria
By Chika Okeke-Agulu (2015)
Publisher: Duke University Press
A landmark monograph that situates Uche Okeke at the center of Nigeria’s postcolonial art movement. Covers the Zaria Art Society, independence-era ideologies, and Okeke’s broader legacy through meticulous archival research and visual analysis.
Why it matters: This is the definitive scholarly study of Nigerian modern art, and Okeke is its intellectual anchor.
Where to find it:Available via Duke University Press, Amazon, or JSTOR.
Simon Okeke, Ife, 1966, Asele Institute Collection
Bonus Picks (for deeper study)
- Primitives or Classicists? A Critical Look at the Work of Uli Women Painters of Nri - Chuu Krydz Ikwuemesi and Evaristus Obodo
- Uche Okeke Legacy articles – Publications from Uche Okeke Legacy
- African Arts Journal – Issues from the 1970s–1990s often include features or reviews related to Okeke
Want to Build Your Uche Okeke Library?
Start with “Art in Development” and “Postcolonial Modernism.” One gives you Okeke’s own voice; the other shows you what that voice built.
