Olu Oguibe receives Kassel's Arnold Bode Prize for his Documenta 14 obelisk

Olu Oguibe, a distinguished artist, has received the Arnold Bode Prize in Kassel, awarded annually for significant contributions to contemporary art. The €10,000 award ceremony is scheduled for September 10 at Kassel's Town Hall, sponsored by Kasseler Sparkasse. Oguibe is known for his sixteen-meter tall obelisk, Monument for strangers and refugees, located at Koningsplatz as part of Documenta 14. This piece features the inscription "I was a stranger and you took me in" in German, English, Arabic, and Turkish on all four sides. Born in Nigeria in 1964, Oguibe later moved to London, earning a doctorate from the School of Oriental and African Studies. His career spans critical writing in Third Text, co-founding the journal Nka, and teaching roles at the University of Illinois and the University of South Florida. His works have been showcased at notable venues, including the Whitney Museum in New York and the Venice Biennale in 2007, marking Africa's first dedicated pavilion. Previous Arnold Bode Prize honorees include Gerhard Richter and Rebecca Horn, among others, celebrating artists linked to the quinquennial exhibition founded by Documenta.