Visual artist Venus Nwaokoro Follow.Art Card

About me

My name is Venus Nwaokoro. I am a BFA graduate with an Honours Specialization in Studio Art and a minor in Museum and Curatorial Studies. My practice centers on painting on wooden panels, where I use oil paint to build layered imagery that reflects lived experience, memory, care, and imagination.

I draw deeply from my relationships, particularly with family and friends, as well as from time spent in nature. Landscapes, animals, oceans, and the emotional complexity of humanity inform both my visual language and thematic focus. Many of my works are representational, based on photographs I take during meaningful moments. These paintings act as quiet meditations on connection, growth, and the desire to preserve fleeting experiences. Revisiting these memories through paint offers both solace and gratitude for the moments I have shared with others.

Alongside memory-based works, I create fantastical and surreal imagery inspired by dreams. These pieces depict fictional animals, imagined landscapes, and otherworldly scenes that exist between the familiar and the uncanny. Through them, I aim to construct visual narratives and fairytale-like worlds that invite viewers to engage their own imaginations.

A recurring use of sepia and burnt umber tones references age, time, and folklore, echoing weathered pages of old stories. When combined with selective colour, these tones allow me to emphasize narrative focus, bridging memory and imagination while grounding fantasy in emotional realism.