Chika Idu

Chika Idu’s career after his youth service in 1999 was not unlike any other young Nigerian artist living in Nigeria, It was filled with rejections, exploitations and discouragements by Gallery owners, his first break came when the director for the French cultural center Joel Bertrand discovered his works in a local gallery and offered him a chance to exhibit at the French cultural center. At first Chika thought his friends were playing a joke on him, he did not believe this invitation until he met the director in person, the exhibition which was titled ‘Ndinta’ (little ones) held in 2003 was very successful and marked the beginning of a turnaround in Chika Idu’s art career. Chika Idu’s work topics are most often centered on children and events happening in his immediate environment and the Nigeria culture.

Chika Idu was a founding member and first president of a group of young idealists painters known as Defactori studio, this young painters converted an old abandoned warehouse into a studio and based on their ideologies have evolved into an art society organizing programs for art promotion sake. He in 2005 put together a group of water colour artist for the purpose of creating more awareness for the medium; he named this group ‘sable club’.

Chika Idu is currently a full time studio artist; who’s popularity has grown immensely within the short period of his career, he resides and works in Lagos.