The University of Arkansas Department of Art is pleased to announce the Visiting Artist Lecture by Uchay Joel Chima. The lecture is made possible by the Joy Pratt Markham Visiting Artist Fund, which supports the department by bringing renowned artists to the University of Arkansas to speak to both students and the community. The lecture will take place at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, in Hillside Auditorium, room 206. The event is free and open to the public.

Chima graduated in 1997 from the Art School of the Institute of Management and Technology in Enugu, Nigeria, and since has exhibited work in prominent galleries and Museums in Nigeria, South Africa, Canada, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Chima is known for his eclectic use of alluring materials and unique artistic process, often questioning environmental and social issues around the world. Chima's works have continued to evolve, remaining relevant to developments in contemporary art. He maintains a studio in Lagos, Nigeria, and Houston.

Weaving a tapestry of memory, imagination, societal happenings and emotion, Chima combines various found objects, including strings, sand, wax, charcoal, old sacks, with paint and other mediums in an aesthetic that informs his oeuvre. He creates thought provoking presentations, which address the realities around us whilst employing a mixture of conventional and unconventional approaches in his unceasing explorations.

Chima is one of the four artists chosen through a competitive international selection process to take part in 2015/2016 Platteforum's Artist Residency program in Denver, Colorado. He has been in residence at Vidgis Holen Studio in Karlstad, Sweden Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont; Spark Box Studio in Ontario, Canada and also at the One Minute Foundation in Amsterdam, Netherlands. His works are featured at international auction houses including Bonhams, Arthouse Contemporary and Lagos Art Auction.