Onyeka Ibe earned a BFA in Painting from the University of Benin, Nigeria, where he graduated in 1996 with a First Class (summa cum laude). In 1998 he relocated to the United States and continued his studies for an MFA at Georgia State University, Atlanta GA, and Pratt Institute in New York.

Currently based in New York, Ibe's recent work engages indigenous forms and content in African art and architecture as a conceptual backdrop. He uses dark, earth colors, fragments of found objects, and recycled paints to create sculptural installations and multi-layered paintings.