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.

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