Okay Ikenegbu is a sculptor, art historian, academic / researcher, and primarily work with metal media. As an educationist, he has taught and mentored many artists for over 3 decades. He holds a Ph.D. in Art History, Master of Fine Art in Sculpture and Bachelor of Arts in Fine and Applied Arts.
Okay Ikenegbu’s early works were archetypal in the sense that they were focused towards a particular idea/image. Now, it is more symbolic in the sense that the idea is shifting and must be allowed to go on shifting to simplistic visual forms with in depth symbolism. Currently, his vision in creating works is intensely spiritually motivated. He finds himself working towards an art which includes a spiritual dimension. In recent works, he has emphasized myth, symbol, and subconscious to evoke a realm of spirituality in perception of a particular work in contrast to its environment. He has written many publications and participated many international conferences and has won numerous accolades. He has also participated in many international exhibitions. His latest solo exhibition “After the Rain” (2022) features an array of his outdoor sculpture exhibits. The exhibits empahisizes the creative process as much as the seamless pathways in which art and environemtnal design are dissolving into one another.
His works are of varying shapes, form and media. His work includes Roaring Lion (concrete, H-12.8m x L-21.9m x W-7.3m) in 2020 which is the world’s largest lion sculpture. His works could also be as small as his 1989 Dancer, metal 13cm x 67 cm. As Project Director, he led the production of the FIFA/COCA COLA Cup World Youth Championship, Nigeria ’95 life size mascot sculptures: Two Monumental Concrete Sculptures of kicking Elephants. Some of his recent works include Foe or Friend, Mixed Media, 2015; The Instant, Steel, 2015; Franconia, Cast Iron, 2015; Market, Cast Iron, 2015; Lion, Cast Iron, 2014; Feminity, Cast Iron, 2014; Global Language, Cast Iron, 2014; Tall Dreams, Quiet Determination, Cast Iron, 2013; Maiden, Cast Iron, 2013. His favourite medium being metal, he has shown great feat in masterpieces such as the 2009 Eagle – A monumental metal sculpture 33ft tall sitting at the entrance roundabout of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport; as well as in the 1995 “Hanomag Harbinger” Customized Suzuki Jeep, including its remodeled version in 2006.