Ehiko Odeh

Ehiko Odeh is a multidisciplinary artist, arts facilitator, arts educator, memory worker and researcher from Lagos, Nigeria. Her practice explores the interconnectedness of traditional knowledge systems, cultural identity, and resilience. By incorporating ethnobotany into her life and art, she highlights the importance of preserving Indigenous practices while promoting sovereignty through herbalism and wellness traditions. Odeh’s creative process delves into the complexities of globalization, its impact on African cultures, disruption of food systems, and its influence on social structures through narratives of family history, food insecurity, and coiffure as a reflection of economic realities.

Odeh holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a minor in Creative Writing from OCAD University and in 2017, she led workshops alongside Toronto’s Poet Laureate, Lillian Allen. She is currently an Artist- In- Residence at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga. Her paintings have been exhibited at venues in Toronto and internationally, including Abbozzo Gallery; BAND Gallery; Gladstone House; Lagos StreetSouk Festival; Kolkata’s Academy of Fine Art in India; Xpace Cultural Centre; and Nicholas Metivier Gallery. Noteworthy involvements include working with Hermés Canada, Havana Club Artist-In-Residence 2023, and Foodshare Toronto.