Geno Okok is a Nigerian-American artist; at the age of seven he started his passion for drawing and painting all through his youth. He eventually attended the Minneapolis Art Institute and received an Associate Degree in Fine Art in 2013. His work focuses on joyful moments in the lives of everyday people and documents the ways beauty, music, fashion, and grace manifest in the African spirit. He describes his style of painting as Expressionist Realism. He has partnered with galleries such as Gallery 13, Night Art Gallery and Dow Gallery and has most recently worked on public mural projects in response to the police killing of George Floyd. In addition, he currently serves on the Brooklyn Park Task Force and as a member on the Advisory Council for the Center for Innovation and the Arts. He recently completed a public art piece at the Brooklyn Park plaza next to Hennepin County Library with youth artists. The story and art were featured on Fox 9 News, Star tribune, CCX Media News, and other media outlets.
Projects
2021
Twin Cities Academy cafeteria mural.
Minnesota State fair Mural (A Joyful World)
Victoria Theater for the Arts Mural
Brooklyn Park Community Mural
Brooklyn Center High School Garden Mural
Wayzata Boat Sailing
Rice Creek Watershed Mural
2020
20ft Storage Container Mural project with City of Brooklyn Park, MN Collaborative mural project with Rec and Go, Anoka, MN
My Brothers keeper” Community mural (Knight Foundation) St. Paul, MN
George Floyd Memorial Mural project with Artists Response, St. Paul, MN
2019
Master Water Steward public art project with Fresh Water Brooklyn Park, MN
Cultivate Bottineau mural painting with Springboard for Arts, Crystal, MN
Community mask making at the Tater Daze, Brooklyn Park, MN
Arden Mills Public Mural Installation with City of Mankato, MN
2018
Interior and exterior mural Tropical Foods Supermarket, Brooklyn Park, MN
2016
Interior and exterior mural Xclusive Games and Lounge, Brooklyn Park, MN
Selected Commission
2020
Painting for Brooklyn Park Fire Department, MN
Painting for Anoka Rumriver Arts Center, MN
Mural for City of Eden Prairie, MN
Creative Director of Music Video for Snoti and Rich Goone, MN
Grants
Minnesota State Art Board
SpringBoard for the Arts
Forecast Public Art
Knight Foundation
Metropolitan Regional Art Council (MRAC) Midway Contemporary Art
Exhibition
2019 Group show 3M Black History Month, 3M Design Campus, Woodbury, MN 2018 Solo show at Night Gallery, Lindstrom, MN
2017 Solo Show Come Up, Pillsbury Artist Loft, Minneapolis, MN
2015 Group Show Dow Gallery, St. Paul, MN
2014 Group Show Panorama, Raw Artists Pour House, Minneapolis, MN
2013 Group Show Arts of Live Music, Gallery 13, Minneapolils, MN
2010 Student Show North Hennepin Art Gallery, Brooklyn Park, MN
Education
2013 Art Institute of Minnesota
Associate of Arts in Art and Interior Design