Otobong Nkanga uses performance, sculpture, drawing, photography and installations as her means of artistic expression. She is fascinated by what she describes as ‘gloss’. To her, this means not only thinking about the shiny surfaces of natural materials, such as minerals, but also the desire to be seduced by exotic consumption objects. In the TextielLab, Nkanga translated this fascination into illustrative, textural tapestries.
For her exhibition ‘IN SITU: Otobong Nkanga – Bruises and Lustre’ in the Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp, Nkanga made the tapestry ‘The Weight of Scars’ in 2015. The IN SITU programme was a series of a mid-sized monographic exhibitions of some of the most important young and mid-career artists from around the world. Throughout her multifaceted artistic practice, Nkanga addresses some of the most pressing problems of our time. One of the major and persistent issues revolves around natural resources, especially the way in which mineral extraction is linked to the conditions of late capitalism.
The circles that are incorporated in the tapestry provide space for photos. Photography is a medium that Nkanga often uses. It is a way to gather evidence of human intervention. In the photos, she examines the boundary between what a photograph shows and the information that remains unseen. A photo is a snapshot; everything that precedes or follows the click of the shutter is not captured. As a result, a photo can be a piece of evidence, but it does not necessarily show the truth.
Nkanga was inspired by the many possibilities in the TextielLab, frequently adjusting the design during the development process. Of note in this design are the lines and circles that appear to adhere to the surface of the fabric instead of being woven into it. To create this effect, a contrasting material was used for the lines and circles. The final design as a whole gained more contrast in colour and structure, making is visually stronger.
Nkanga (1974, Kano, Nigeria) is a visual artist and live performer currently based in Paris and Antwerp. She makes works about the relationships between, and the exploitation of, the landscape, people and work. Plants, stones, dust, gloss and archive material are recurring elements in her complex installations.
She began her art studies at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Nigeria and continued at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris. In 2008, she obtained a master’s degree in performing art from Dasarts, Amsterdam. Since graduating, she has exhibited widely. She participated in Documenta 14, several biennials, among them the biennial in São Paolo and Lyon, and her work has been displayed in Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Tate Modern in London and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
In 2015, Nkanga won the ‘Yanghyun Prize’ and in 2017 the ‘Belgian Art Prize’. The latter is awarded every two years to a leading mid-career artist from Belgium. The international jury praised the artist for exploring and exposing social and geographic changes in her work.
