---
title: Chimemelie Okafor
description: Oil painter exploring the complexity of the human experience
url: "https://www.artsume.com/a/chimemelie-okafor"
type: artist
createdAt: 2026-04-11
updatedAt: 2026-04-15
disciplines:
  - Painting
  - Drawing
  - Collage
location: "Toronto, ON, Canada"
birthYear: 2003
---

# Chimemelie Okafor

*Oil painter exploring the complexity of the human experience | Painting, Drawing, Collage | Based in Toronto, ON, Canada*

## Artist Statement

Chimemelie Okafor (b. 2003) is a Nigerian multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Toronto. She is completing a BFA in Drawing and Painting at OCAD University (2026) Working primarily with oil paint, she also explores drawing and collage. Her practice is rooted in storytelling, using colour, patterns, and surreal imagery to explore the complexity of the human experience through her own lens. Her body and face appear as recurring elements throughout her work, accompanied by gestural play which captures the shifting states of being. She believes that everyone holds multiple identities at once, shaped not only by where they’ve been and how they feel in a given moment, but also by those who came before them.

## Biography

Chimemelie Okafor (b. 2003) is a Nigerian multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Toronto. She is completing a BFA in Drawing and Painting at OCAD University (2026) Working primarily with oil paint, she also explores drawing and collage. Her practice is rooted in storytelling, using colour, patterns, and surreal imagery to explore the complexity of the human experience through her own lens. 

## Curriculum Vitae

### Education

- **2026** - BFA, in Drawing and Painting, OCAD University, Toronto

### Awards & Grants

- **2026** - Akin Studio, RBC Career Launcher, OCAD University
- **2026** - 3rd place, Everyday Monuments, Juried by Gordon Shadrach,, Neilson Park Creative Centre

## Portfolio

### The Great Migration (2026)

*30 x 36 inches*

Three figures in a wishful state.

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### Spiralic Temporality (2026)

*48 x 48 inches*

Four women doing a round dance

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### Things Fall Apart (2026)

*48 x 60 inches*

An action scene between the chicken and the clock.

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### he has won our BROTHERS and our CLAN can no longer act as one (2026)

*48 x 36 inches*

A collection of clocks placed above four figures in disagreement with a bigger figure looking towards the viewer.

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### When the Cock Crows (2026)

*36 x 36 inches*

Figure riding on a large chicken at sunrise.

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### To Defend her Unity? (2025)

*Oil paint and gold watch on canvas*

*30 x 48 inches*

Man eats out of a bowl as figures watch.

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### Again and Again (2024)

*30 x 36 inches*

two figures look directly at the viewer with a steering wheel in the middle. the text "AGAIN" appears on the top and bottom.

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### BIG GIRL DILEMMA (2024)

*30 x 24 inches*

A figure whispers to another figure. The text "MAKE IT STOP' is written on the side.