| Uli is an expression of the people's capacity for | | | | teachers and students in the 1970s at the University in |
| creative design, which is firmly rooted in their myths | | | | Nsukka and was linked to renewed interest in Igbo |
| and their experience of life in the past, present and | | | | culture after the destructive Biafran War. |
| future. At its best, it is an expression of their synthetic | | | | Traditional uli motifs, now rarely painted on human |
| present, the epic of their search for a new order in the | | | | bodies or walls, have a strong linear, often curvilinear, |
| contemporary world. It is my traditional art style, which I | | | | quality. The art makes use of contrasts between |
| have fallen in love with all over again and it is a | | | | positive and negative space, its images at times |
| privilege to share uli with you in my works. It has been | | | | appearing as sky constellations. Uli's lyrical qualities |
| shown that the knowledge of uli motifs and symbols | | | | express harmony and brevity. It is art style that has |
| and their application enables one to identify the | | | | often been created in freedom and spontaneity. "Uli is |
| traditional Igbo artifacts, giving validity to the people's | | | | a pride heritage". Uli motifs generally refer to images of |
| aesthetic intelligence and judgment. This culture is one | | | | everyday Igbo life, farm and cooking tools, pots, plants, |
| of the first known cultures of the world in the recorded | | | | birds, animals, the sun, the moon, and the kola nut, |
| archeologically facts to have done bronze casting. | | | | though some are pure design. For ceremonial |
| (Igboukwu bronze). | | | | occasions and important events, skilled Igbo female |
| Uli symbols may be said to show graphically how the | | | | artists painted uli to add beauty to the human body |
| organic forms grow outwards from the core of those | | | | and the walls of buildings and compounds. Uli has |
| elements to point, line, triangle, square and circle that | | | | made her way in modern social settings; on sculptural |
| are universal to the concentric circle at the periphery, | | | | surfaces and on paper, board, and canvas, framed |
| which contains reflections of everyday world as seen | | | | and hung on walls in homes, institutions, and galleries of |
| by the artists. Just as the inner circle reflects the | | | | the world. |
| uncommon reality or ritual reality of the cultural | | | | Magic of Uli Lines, which is an extended dot or a |
| existence, so the outer circle is in contact with the | | | | moving point, has very many possibilities, particularly, |
| human and ecological reality, which it expresses. | | | | the quickly drawn one. My drawing explores the |
| Artistic activities at Enugu formed part of the early | | | | evocative and lyrical possibilities of line and derives |
| post-1960 independence developments in the country. | | | | from Uli. The Uli artist works spontaneously whether on |
| There was the growing local and international | | | | the human body or the wall. There is no question of |
| popularity of Nigerian novelists, dramatists, poets, | | | | erasing or cleaning. There is something about the |
| literary critics, architects, artists, and musicians, and | | | | spontaneously executed work, a breathtaking vitality |
| scholars. Interesting collaborations took place among | | | | and freshness that defy description or repetition. |
| those in the literary performing, and visual arts, | | | | An analysis of Igbo drawing and painting reveals that |
| particularly in southern Nigeria. The efforts and artistic | | | | space, line pattern, brevity and spontaneity seem to be |
| lives of these minds sowed a flourishing seed for an | | | | the pillars on which the rich tradition and heritage rests. |
| uncommon global harvest. I give thanks to God for | | | | It is these unique qualities that I strive for, both intuitive |
| these great minds, your outstanding contributions will | | | | and intellectually to assimilate in my work. Intuitively, |
| not be forgotten. | | | | because during my years of studying and looking at |
| Uli creations relied heavily on drawing skills whose | | | | Igbo sculpture, drawing and painting, various aspects of |
| content is based largely on Igbo culture, particularly | | | | design and recurrent motifs have become internalized |
| female body and wall painting called uli and on Igbo | | | | in my system and inevitably surface unconsciously in |
| tales, ceremonies, and beliefs. The revival of interest in | | | | the course of executing my aesthetic challenges. It is |
| uli through contemporary art had begun with Uche | | | | perhaps needless to add that the great works of art is |
| Okeke in the 1960s, when Nigeria's independence | | | | a result of the harmonious marriage of intellect and |
| produced a growing sense of freedom from colonial | | | | intuition. |
| restraints on cultural tradition. It fully developed among | | | | |