Houston Studio Location
2000 Edwards Street, Studio #319
Houston, TX 77042
New York Studio Location
205 E 42nd St @ 3rd Ave,
Suite #18 New York, NY 10017
Artist statement
My work is a break from artistic tradition.
It’s an innovation.
A bridge between science and art.
It’s inspired by the prose of life and the universe which manifests in the poetry of symmetry, balance and energy.
Circles represent the cyclical nature of existentialism, continuity and immortality.
The use of circles in art has its root in the ancient tradition of spiritual art and symbolism. However, I employ the use of concentric circles in a new way to celebrate the way I see the world around me. My vehicle to narrate compelling visual stories.
In making my art, I build up multiple layers of paint following cyclical pathways with thick premium oil pigment to create these textural motions. Delicately, but with flourish, every inch of space is given meaning through a breathtaking range of color matching and mixing.
Like a pebble dropped in water, the whole painting takes cue from a focal point and radiates onto an expanding motion of energy. The goal is to achieve symmetry with flair, and precision without the mechanical. The circles are created free hand, guided by mathematical impulse. The process is very intense; requiring solitude and focus during production. This innovative style has altered the boundaries of visual art expression. - Chu Okoli, artist
Grant Award Winner in Painting, courtesy of Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Foundation NY 2018. Medici Medal Winner in Painting, courtesy of The Florence International Biennale of Contemporary Art Italy 2015.
Artist Bio
Chu Okoli is a Houston, Texas and Manhattan, New York based visual artist, internationally recognized for his innovative painting practice. Trained in classical drawing and painting, and informed by his multidisciplinary background as a sculptor, installation artist, designer, and writer, Okoli has forged a groundbreaking visual language using concentric circles as a lens through which he sees the universe and the world around him.
Inspired by the cyclical nature of life and a lifelong passion for astronomy, Okoli’s works explore balance, symmetry, and the energetic forces that radiate continuously across time and space. His paintings are visual narratives composed of free-hand concentric circles, executed with exceptional precision and fluidity.
His groundbreaking style has earned him numerous grants, awards, and international acclaim, including the Prestigious Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Grant for Accomplished Painters (2018) and the Medici Medal Award in Painting at the International Biennale of Contemporary Art, Florence, Italy (2015). In 2024, he was a Resident Artist at the School of Visual Arts International Artist Residency in New York City.
Okoli has exhibited at prominent art fairs and institutions worldwide, including Art Basel Miami (2022–2024), the Coral Gables Museum in Miami, ArtExpo New York, and the Contemporary Art Fair Santa Fe, New Mexico. His works are held in both public and private collections and at both his studios in Manhattan, New York City, and Sawyer Yards, Houston, Texas.
Awards
Adolph & Esther Gotlieb Foundation NY Grant Award Winner in Painting, 2018.
Medici Medal Award Winner in Painting at the 10th Edition of the Florence International Contemporary Art Biennale Italy, 2015.