This Way to the Egret

Every successful artist working in the abstract is confronted with the same skeptical questions: "What is it?" and "Is it art?," are two of the most common, but, "Hasn't everything already been done?" is a harder one to answer. Enter Nigerian artist Nnenna Okore, who transforms discarded materials into works of art that are truly stimulating to view. Using materials such as newspaper, burlap and rope, Okore crafts shapes that echo images of fires, wild flora, neurons or thought bursts. Craft Alliance's Delmar Loop Gallery (6640 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-725-1177 or www.craftalliance.org) hosts the exhibition Nnenna Okore: Shokoloko (the Nigerian word for "egret"), which opens with a free public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, August 26. The gallery is open every day but Monday, and Shokoloko remains on display through Sunday, October 23.
Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: Aug. 26. Continues through Oct. 23, 2011