The Digital Future of Uche Okeke’s Legacy: How Technology is Keeping His Work Alive
Published 27 June 2025 in The Legacy
Uche Okeke Legacy Editorial
Uche Okeke (1933 - 2016), a seminal figure in Nigerian modernism, championed the philosophy of Natural Synthesis - a fusion of traditional Igbo art forms with contemporary techniques. As we navigate the digital age, preserving and disseminating his work transcends physical archives.
This blog delves into the digitisation initiatives, virtual exhibitions, and innovative technologies ensuring Okeke's artistic vision endures.
Digitising the Past: Preserving Uche Okeke’s Work Online
Traditionally, art preservation relied on physical collections housed in museums and galleries. However, these are susceptible to deterioration and limited accessibility. Digitisation offers a solution by creating high-resolution records of artworks, manuscripts, and historical documents that can be stored indefinitely and accessed globally.
The Asele Institute, founded by Okeke in 1958, in collaboration with its sister company, The Professor Uche Okeke Legacy Limited, has undertaken significant digitisation projects. These efforts include:
• High-Resolution Scanning of Artworks: Okeke’s ink drawings, linocuts, and paintings are being digitised in high resolution, ensuring that every detail of his intricate lines and motifs remains intact.
• Digital Archiving of Manuscripts and Sketchbooks: His notes, sketches, and writings provide invaluable insight into his creative process and philosophy. Digitising these materials allows researchers and art enthusiasts to engage more deeply with his thoughts and artistic evolution.
• Online Repositories: Many of his works are now available in digital collections, making them accessible to a global audience.
By preserving Okeke’s art digitally, these efforts protect his work from the ravages of time while democratising access to one of Nigeria’s most influential artistic legacies.
Uche Okeke, Motherhood, 1959, Oil on Board, 91.5 x 61 inches, Bonhams
Did You Know?
Uche Okeke was not just an artist but also a prolific writer and educator. His journals contain elaborate notes on art, Igbo traditions, and philosophy. Thanks to digital archiving, many of these writings are becoming accessible to scholars, enabling them to access his insights on African identity and artistic expression.
Virtual Exhibitions and Online Archives: A New Way to Experience Okeke’s Art
The advent of virtual exhibitions has revolutionised how audiences interact with art. Online galleries and digital museums transcend geographical barriers, allowing global audiences to experience Okeke's masterpieces.
Some initiatives making this possible are:
• The Asele Institute’s Online Archive: The Asele Institute, established by Okeke, continues to house an extensive collection of his works. Recent efforts have focused on creating an online archive where scholars, students, and enthusiasts can browse his paintings, sketches, and writings with detailed annotations and historical context.
• Museum Partnerships: International institutions like the Smithsonian and MoMA have begun incorporating Okeke’s works into their digital collections, expanding his reach beyond Nigeria.
These digital advancements ensure that Okeke’s work is not only preserved but also presented in innovative ways that enhance engagement and education.
‘Portraits’, a selection of Uche Okeke’s portrait works from our website
Social Media and the Rise of Digital Storytelling
Social media platforms, especially Instagram, play a crucial role in making Uche Okeke’s legacy accessible to a global audience. Through curated visuals, reels, and carousels, the Legacy team showcases Okeke’s works and ideas in engaging, digestible formats.
Interactive features like polls, Q&As, and story quizzes invite audiences to explore Okeke’s themes and artistic symbols, transforming social platforms into informal educational spaces. Collaborations with art historians and cultural institutions further amplify his legacy, while community-driven content fosters participation and connection.
Together, these strategies position social media as a dynamic digital archive - one that not only shares Okeke’s past but continually invites dialogue and reinterpretation.
Blockchain and NFTs: A New Frontier for African Art
Blockchain technology and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) once held promise for reshaping the presentation and authentication of African art. The Uche Okeke Legacy previously explored the potential of creating digital assets linked to Okeke’s works to secure provenance and introduce new modes of engagement.
While these experiments offered valuable insights, the initiative is not currently ongoing. Nevertheless, the exploration marked an important chapter in considering how emerging technologies might contribute to the stewardship of African modernist legacies.
Potential applications that were explored included:
• Tokenised Ownership: Creating digital tokens representing partial ownership of Okeke’s works to increase accessibility.
• Permanent Digital Records: Using blockchain for tamper-proof records of his art and documents.
• NFT Exhibitions: Conceptualising virtual galleries for digital renditions of historical artworks.
Though not currently an active initiative, this engagement with blockchain and NFTs highlights the openness of the Uche Okeke Legacy to innovation and forward-thinking approaches in heritage preservation.
Coffee & Uche Okeke: A Community-Born Podcast
What began as a digital experiment during the Legacy’s NFT initiative has grown into an essential voice in African art discourse. Coffee & Uche Okeke started as a series of audio chats hosted on Discord, designed to build community around Uche Okeke’s work during the NFT phase of the project. These conversations quickly evolved into a dedicated podcast series, now available on public audio platforms.
Our latest episode of Coffee & Uche Okeke, with Aindrea Emelife
The podcast explores Okeke’s life, work, and philosophies through informal yet informed discussions. Hosted by CEO Salma Uche-Okeke and featuring artists, historians, curators, and members of the Legacy team, episodes dive into topics such as Uli aesthetics, modernism in Nigeria, archival practices, and personal reflections on Okeke’s influence.
As a community-rooted project, Coffee & Uche Okeke preserves the spirit of the original Discord gatherings - welcoming, accessible, and collaborative. It serves as an ongoing platform for reimagining how oral and digital storytelling can expand the boundaries of traditional art history. Through this medium, the Legacy continues to reach new audiences while encouraging active participation in the unfolding story of Nigerian modernism.
The Future of Okeke’s Legacy in the Digital Age
As the world continues to embrace digital transformation, Uche Okeke’s legacy stands at the forefront of African modernist preservation efforts. The combination of digitisation, virtual exhibitions, social media storytelling, and blockchain technology ensures that his work will continue to inspire, educate, and engage audiences for generations to come.
By bridging the gap between traditional artistry and modern technology, Okeke’s vision remains alive—not just in museums or archives but in the ever-expanding digital landscape that connects the past, present, and future of Nigerian art.
