Michelle Okpare

"Michelle Okpare’s work merges memory, emotion, and materiality to explore contemporary African identity and womanhood. She transforms crepe paper, acrylic, and recycled lace into textured, vibrant compositions that challenge beauty standards and reflect personal and societal experiences. Her pieces balance imagination and reality, creating expressive, layered narratives that speak to mental health, cultural identity, and the complexities of human emotion."

MEET

Michelle Okpare

Michelle Okpare (b. 1996, Nigeria) is a visual artist raised between Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. Her expressionist mixed-media practice—using crepe paper, acrylic, and recycled lace—draws on childhood memories to explore identity, mental health, and gender in contemporary African society.

She has exhibited internationally and been featured in outlets such as Vanity Fair Italia and Sunday Times South Africa, with work documented on Google Arts & Culture. Okpare lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria.

FROM OUR BLOGUE

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Pharrell Williams presents FEMMES at Galerie Perrotin, Paris, from 20 March to 19 April 2025. Curated by the musician and creative visionary, the exhibition brings together nearly 40 international artists whose works honour the power, identity, and beauty of Black women.

Paris Noir: A Tribute to 50 Years of Black Artistic Brilliance in Paris

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