Bio
Bernice Udeogu is a self-taught contemporary artist from Nigeria, now residing in London, Ontario, Canada. Despite lacking early encouragement, her strong creative spirit thrived as she transformed everyday materials into art. This passion persisted through her journalism degree and brief career as an on-air personality, but she soon realized the corporate world wasn't her true calling.
Relocating to Canada opened new creative avenues for Bernice, allowing her to blend her Nigerian heritage and experiences as a Black woman into her art. She views art as a way to connect with others, expressing the complex 'curves' of life—love, failure, growth, and relationships. These themes are reflected in her work, celebrating the intertwining of womanhood, faith, nature, and blackness—elements that define her essence.
Bernice creates from the beauty of everyday moments, using her art to communicate with those who relate to her story or wish to share in her experiences, fostering understanding and connection along the way.
Artist Statement
Bernice Udeogu's art merges painting and sculpture, transforming traditional canvases into vibrant, three-dimensional experiences. Utilizing bold colors and textural elements, her work adds depth and a tactile dimension. Her pieces celebrate cultural heritage and personal identity, featuring expressive forms that convey powerful emotions. Primarily depicting strong women, her art blends traditional and modern influences, highlighting themes of strength, beauty, and pride. This fusion allows her art to tell stories that resonate on multiple levels, inviting viewers to connect with both the seen and the felt.
Bernice’s artworks are vibrant tapestries of eclectic narratives. Using mediums like plaster, acrylic paint, pigments, and resin, she captures the essence of movement and motion. Bold compositions and expressive forms offer glimpses into her imagination, inspired by personal experiences.
Her art carries a profound message of resilience, hope, and transformation, inspiring viewers to find beauty and meaning in the ordinary. Bernice’s work stands as a testament to the transformative power of creativity, offering solace and reflection amidst life’s curves and bends, reminding us of the beauty waiting to be discovered.
It's an insatiable hunger, an all-consuming obsession that occupies my every waking thought and fuels my wildest dreams. I simply cannot fathom being anything other than an unapologetic artist.
Sharing my art is my own personal journey of 'unhiding' my magic after a long time of concealing it. I hope to inspire someone who happens to stumble upon me and my art to gradually let their own magic shine too, and inspire the next person.