[3] In addition, uli is not directly symbolic but instead focused on the creation of a visual impact[1] and decorating the body of the patron or building in question.
[4] The designs are almost exclusively produced by women, who decorate other people's with dark dyes to prepare for village events, such as marriage, title taking, or funerals, as well as for more everyday wear.
[6] Igbo women also paint uli murals on the walls of compounds and houses, using four basic pigments: black, white, yellow, and red.
[5] According to local mythology, the practice developed as a gift from Ala, the goddess of earth, who blessed women with the ability to create art, as demonstrated through the creation of uli.
[8] Uli artists generally focus on creating a variation of contrast, a clarity of lines, and a balanced distribution of forms that work within the space being used.
[5] Within these regional variations individual uli artists have unique and recognizable styles, and, even in the collective drawing of designs, relative rank and talent are acknowledged.
[1] These motifs are named for either the part of the natural environment they resemble, the method of execution used to make the design, or the abstract shape they form.
[8] However, unlike the Nsibidi, a system of symbols developed by male secret societies in Igbo culture,[2] these uli motifs are not meant to be representative but are simply named for what their designs resemble.
A final layer of primer, a red mud slip, is then applied to the wall in order to create a three-dimensional surface to work on.
[8] The pigments are then mixed with water and applied to the wall using the artist's hands, twigs, feathers, or using the mmanwauli (uli knife).
[6] Women traditionally wear uli for a variety of reasons, such as going to market to sell wares, meeting a prospective husband, getting married, giving birth, attending burial rites, or attaining of a title.
They are commonly found on public shrines as decorations, where they tend to have more abstract, austere designs painted by experienced women in muted colors.
These murals are often executed by all female members of a compound working together and generally involve more human or animal forms than shrine designs.
[6] The Mary Slessor Memorial School, a Christian marriage training center, taught students from Igboland to recreate uli designs in embroidery.
[9] Uche Okeke, a founding member, adapted uli as a basis for "a new visual language" separate from western forms.
[9] These primarily male artists were at times criticized for drawing on a traditionally female art form without properly acknowledging current practitioners.
[7] Over time, modern female artists have also incorporated uli into their art, such as Chinwe Uwatse, who uses similar swelling lines and curves in her watercolor paintings.