Urenna Amadi, an award-winning U.S.-based Nigerian filmmaker, sculptor and Creative Director of Afriwood Studios, is developing a cross-media creative practice that combines African heritage with contemporary visual storytelling.

A graduate of Fine and Applied Arts from Imo State University, IMSU, Amadi began her career in public art and socio-political commentary.

Among her notable academic works is Menace of Kidnapping, a five-foot fibreglass sculpture standing seven feet tall with its base, installed at the central IMSU Love Garden, also known as Chief Owunna Recreational Park.

The sculpture explores regional security challenges, portraying the complex relationship between militancy and traditional authority in the Niger Delta.

Amadi’s work in monumental public art also includes landmarks across Imo State.

At the historic Ugwu Ekwema Civic Centre on Egbu Road, Owerri, the ancestral foundation site of the Owerri people, stands her six-foot fibreglass effigy of Ekwem Arugo, mounted on a three-foot historical base.

Created and donated by Amadi, the monument pays tribute to Ekwem Arugo, regarded as the founder of Owerri.

She later expanded her contribution to cultural preservation with a six-foot public sculpture at the central festival grounds in Awaka.

The sculpture depicts a mother carrying a basket of corn and honours the community’s traditional Ita-Oka Festival, which celebrates agricultural abundance and maternal strength.

Amadi subsequently extended her creative practice into international filmmaking, directing the feature film Not a Slave, which earned her an Award of Recognition in the Women Filmmakers category at the May 2019 Accolade Global Film Competition in the United States.

Today, as Creative Director of Afriwood Studios, an international entertainment company headquartered in Owerri, Imo State, with a U.S. liaison office in Newark, New Jersey, Amadi combines her background in fine art with digital world-building and character design.

The studio’s flagship property, Shutter-Bird, has been described in Nigerian media as Nigeria’s first live-action superhero, combining personal narrative, African identity and speculative fiction.

“Whether sculpting multi-foot public monuments from fibreglass or designing character universes, the core objective remains the same: preserving authentic African identity while presenting it on a global stage,” Amadi said.

Through her work across public sculpture, socio-political art, filmmaking and digital character development, Amadi is building a diverse creative portfolio focused on African identity and its representation in contemporary visual storytelling.