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Nnenna Okore, Aja
Nsukka, 2014, Burlap, handmade paper, dye and acrylic, 30 x 59 inches. Image courtesy David Krut Projects.
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Twist and
Turns
November 20, 2014 – January 17, 2015
Opening reception: Thursday, November 20, 2014,
6 – 8pm
526 West
26th Street, Suite 816
New York,
NY
From David
Krut Projects press release:
David Krut
Projects is pleased to present Twist and
Turns, Nnenna Okore’s second solo exhibition at the gallery. The title of
the exhibition draws attention to the sense of dynamism and movement in this
selection of Okore’s most recent sculptures - continuing her exploration of
material through a laborious hands-on creative process gleaned from the
traditions of West African art making.
Raised in
Nigeria, Okore’s affinity for tactile and gristly elements from the semi-urban
environs of Nsukka in south-eastern Nigeria, have inspired a body of works that
broadly focus on transformation and regeneration of mundane ecological and man-made
objects. Through visual subtleties, she is able to present the fluid and
delicate attributes of the physical world, triggered by aging, death and decay.
She embraces biodegradable materials laced with memories and histories of her
past; and submits to the use of several organic forms delicately articulated in
an interwoven manner to reflect the quintessence and mystery of life cycles.
The familiar yet abstract sculptural forms rely heavily on materials including
newspapers, cloth, plaster and hessian, which were acquired mostly in her
Fulbright year abroad. These materials metaphorically reference social,
historical and environmental interconnectedness of our collective experiences
as mortals.
By
default, Okore responds to the movement and malleability of her mediums and
processes, allowing them to lead her.
Her drawn-out processes of threading, fraying, tearing, teasing,
twisting, rolling, layering and dying are derivative of domestic Nigerian tasks
that she mastered while living in the country. Through her work, she reveals
impermanent earthy attributes of organic and twisted forms. Her intuitive
approach to process begets intricate and unhindered layers of the process and
materials. The undulated nature of Okore’s work further accentuates the extraordinary
panoramic dance between the art and the gallery’s unique ambience. The result
is an intriguing display of spellbinding ethereal forms.
Nnenna
Okore is an Associate Professor of Art at North Park University, Chicago, where
she teaches Sculpture. She has received numerous international awards and been
exhibited in many prestigious venues, including October Gallery, London; Museum
of Art and Design, New York; Sao Paulo Biennale, Brazil; and Art Twenty One,
Nigeria. She received the prestigious Fulbright Scholar Award in 2012, which
resulted in a year-long project in Nigeria. Her works and interview were
recently featured in the July/August 2013 issue of Sculpture Magazine.
In
February 2015, Elmhurst Art Museum will present a solo exhibition of new sculpture by Okore.
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