After 15 years in advertising and design consulting, Chuma transitioned fully into studio practice in 2021, where he began to fuse drawing, digital innovation and industrial making techniques in creating works that merge hand-drawn sensibilities with precision mechanics. This hybrid process is central to his artistic philosophy: a conscious act of reclaiming cultural heritage through modern tools and archiving storytelling.

Chuma Anagbado, a multidisciplinary artist whose work sits at the intersections between Art and Design studied Fine and Applied Arts with a specialization in Sculpture at the University of Benin, graduating in 2005. He later earned a Master’s degree in Design (with Distinction) from the University for the Creative Arts, Rochester, UK, in 2013.

His art is grounded in Uli, the indigenous Igbo artform known for its expressive linearity, symbolism, and fluid storytelling. His visual language reimagines traditional motifs and meanings into objects and experiences installed within the architectural and built space. His work explores material and non-material themes drawn from Igbo identity, culture, heritage, spirituality and ‘diasporaness’. Working with outdoor materials like wood, plexiglass and metal: Chuma creates medium to large scale works of art and installations. Using the subtractive and time-consuming laser technology of cutting and etching, he transforms stories into mesmerizing encounters. His process is spirited, meditative, intensive, multifaceted and multidisciplinary. By creating work that exists between worlds—analogue and digital, past and future—he invites audiences to engage with the tensions and harmonies of postcolonial African identities within spatial environments.

Chuma’s works are held in public and private collections across the world.