Ebele Okobi is a senior policy adviser at OpenAI, an American artificial intelligence research company, her latest role in a long career in tech policy and human rights after previously working as a corporate lawyer. Outside of her day job, Okobi is heavily involved in the arts, serving as chair of the development board of the Museum of West African Art in Benin City, Nigeria, among other roles.
The Art Newspaper: How quickly do you decide to buy a work of art?
Ebele Okobi: I don’t buy frequently, but when I do, I decide almost immediately.
What was the first work you ever bought?
I don’t remember the very first. But the first I bought in London was a gorgeous painting by Sola Olulade. It’s in our bedroom and it brings me joy every single morning.
A sculpture by Lagos-based artist Phillips Nzekwe, Crush (2022), from Ebele Okobi’s collection Courtesy of Ebele Okobi
What was the last work you bought?
I think it was a stunning painting by Alberta Whittle, from Nicola Vassell Gallery in New York. Alberta’s work epitomises art as liberatory practice, and I adore it and her!
What do you regret not buying when you had the chance?
Oh my goodness, so many! Lina Iris Viktor, Ayana Jackson, Firelei Báez, Tavares Strachan, Eamon Ore-Giron—they’ve all had work I fell in love with, but I hesitated too long. I’m drawn to artists who are abolitionists, troublemakers, revolutionaries, truth-tellers—people who are dangerous to empire.
If you could have any work from any museum, what would it be?
I would go to the British Museum and take back all the objects stolen from Nigeria, which I would gift to the Museum of West African Art in Benin City.
Where do you like to eat and drink in London?
Chishuru in Fitzrovia and Akara in Borough Market, both West African restaurants, are gorgeous.
Do you have any parties lined up?
The opening celebration for the Museum of West African Art in Benin City in November is going to be incredible.
What’s your least favourite thing about art fairs?
The lack of racial diversity can make them deadly boring—which is why I adore London’s Frieze 91 Committee. The head of Frieze 91, Aryana Khan, creative consultant Charlene Prempeh and company have packed it with the most gorgeously diverse, fascinating crew of lovely people. It’s a joy.
Alberta Whittle’s mixed-media work Poised and ready to counter the hard-hearted gaze of surveillance (2022); Okobi is a big fan of the artist: “I adore it and her!” she says Courtesy of Ebele Okobi
Where do you go in London to get away from it all?
Our house! It’s a refuge and a place where we host beloved community for the most joyful parties—I absolutely adore it.
What tip would you give to someone visiting London for the first time?
This is so specific to what one travels for, but London has gorgeous bookshops, from massive Foyles to Moon Lane Ink in Catford (which has an amazing selection of authors of colour and children’s books) to Daunt in Marylebone to Gay’s the Word in Bloomsbury—if you love books, map an itinerary! I also love all of London’s art spaces—I use websites like Frieze, Time Out, and GalleriesNow to decide where to wander. And I love walking—pick a neighbourhood or four and just walk with no agenda.