Owie Smart was born in Benin, a city in Nigeria, well known internationally for bronze sculpture, its casting
skills, and sophisticated arts and crafts. Being born into a family of wood carvers gave him the privilege of
learning the art of wood carving from childhood. By the time he completed his Secondary education in Benin,
he was already a wood carver. He had the opportunity to work under some of the most outstanding wood
carvers like Uyi Obaseki and Late Sculptor Ifionayi through whom he saw art from a different perspective.
In 1998, Smart relocated to Lagos where he joined a group of artists in Ebute Metta. In 2004, he joined the
Universal Studio of Art where he had the opportunity to work with famous Masters like Late Bisi Fakeye, Late
Monday Akhidue. Until 2008, and other prominent artists. He did his National Diploma in General Arts at the
Yaba College of Technology. In 2008 he moved to his private studio Woodcocks Studio at the National Council
for Arts and Culture (NCAC) Artists’ Village situated at the National Theatre Complex in Lagos before its
demolition in 2016. Moved his studio to Ikorodu. Lagos in the same 2016. Owie Smart was (AR) artist in
residence in Abidjan. The residency program was curated by Perpetual Mobile. Essentially, he does a lot of
abstracts, drawings, and forms. his references from nature, plants, flowers, human form, and society. Sometimes
he expresses his creativity in geometrical forms. Smart also uses his art for advocacy he is also a human rights
defender. creating pieces that challenge the status quo and protest social injustice in Nigeria. His works are
mainly in the wood medium.
Smart has participated in numerous exhibitions, including the Society of Nigerian Artists’ (SNA) Annual
Exhibition in Lagos and Jagart Gallery’s prestigious Annual Independence Exhibition at Transcorp Hilton Hotel
Abuja. Some of his most important commissioned works include the two wooden masks on the stage of the
NEW AFRIKAN SHRINE in Ikeja, Lagos commissioned by Afrobeat icon Femi Kuti; the entrance wooden door
of the Oodua Gallery on the top floor of the Cocoa House in Ibadan; Two fiberglass sculptures along Oduduwa
Way at Ikeja G.R.Ain Lagos, commissioned by Benaturera Spa, and another two for their Victoria Island branch
in 2013.