Demas Nwoko was born on 1935 and is a Nigerian artist, protean designer, architect and master builder.
19 Facts About Demas Nwoko
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Demas Nwoko was a lecturer at the University of Ibadan.
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In 2023, Demas Nwoko was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the International Architecture Exhibition of 18th Venice Biennale of Architecture.
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Demas Nwoko was born in 1935 in Idumuje Ugboko, a town that now has as its Obi Demas Nwoko's nephew.
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Demas Nwoko grew up in Idumuje Ugboko appreciating the newly constructed architectural edifices in the town and in the palace of the Obi, his father.
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Demas Nwoko went to study fine arts at the College of Arts, Science and Technology, in 1956, a year after the college was moved from its original location in Ibadan to Zaria.
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Demas Nwoko's terracotta's were designs that extended and expressed the art forms of the Ancient Nok with less deviation from an ancient African theme.
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Demas Nwoko then decided to build his studio and house from traditional methods to complement his cash shortage.
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Demas Nwoko used clay and laterite found around the site chosen and built a brick house and studio from the natural resources lying around.
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Demas Nwoko was originally approached to design a plaque for a new chapel but he later asked the Dominican fathers to help in designing a new chapel to be located in Ibadan.
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Demas Nwoko's style was moulded to fit into the temporal needs of African citizens in a given location.
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Demas Nwoko later went on to design more structures such as the Benin theatre, which used Greek and the Japanese Kabuki designs.
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Demas Nwoko designed the scepter for his brother's coronation as the Obi of Idumoje Ugboko.
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Demas Nwoko asked the Dominicans if he could assist them in their new building.
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Demas Nwoko began designing for University of Ibadan theatrical productions.
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Demas Nwoko designed the cultural centre in Ibadan and a sceptre his brother's coronation.
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Demas Nwoko co-published New Culture, a leading arts magazine, pointing the way toward new movements in African art.
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Demas Nwoko led the way toward a modern mode of expression in African art, theatre, painting, and architecture.
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Demas Nwoko belongs to that generation of artists, along with Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, who fought for Nigerian independence artistically as well as politically.