Isabel Okoro

Isabel Okoro is a Nigerian visual artist based in Toronto. From photography and film to printmaking, Okoro engages her multi-disciplinary practice to explore the interactions and experiences between the motherland and contemporary diaspora of African community members. Her coined term ‘normatopia’ describes a space between the tensions of a harsh reality and a utopia, while also referencing her aspirations to create images that feel ‘normal’ rather than perfect.

Okoro’s 2026 project & solo-exhibition at Smokestack expanded her normatopia imagery explorations. Collaborative, harmonized support from Smokestack’s Analog, Digital, and Presentation Studios through her Hybrid Print Residency facilitated production of a new series that pushed the boundaries of the creation and presentation of her work.

Recent exhibitions of Isabel Okoro’s work in Canada have included presentations with Patel Brown, Olga Korper Gallery, Gallery TPW, Nuit Blanche, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Toronto, ON; and the Black Arts Centre in Surrey, BC. Her work has been internationally exhibited in Mexico and the UK.