In a recent artist talk, the award-winning artist reflects on how she developed her research-based multi-disciplinary practice, and came to translate the natural world into pathways that explore the senses of our society today through her art.
Born in Nigeria, Nkanga moved to Paris at the young age of nine, where she had her first experiences of art. At school, she explored the work of old masters from Ingres to Caravaggio and would visit Musée Guimet and Musée du Louvre on her breaks. It was here she “realized that it was something that, when drawing, when making work, it was the calmest time in my life and so it made sense and that's something I wanted to do”
The artist later returned to Nigeria to study art at the Obafemi Awolowo University, where she was encouraged to engage in hands-on field work. “For me it was interesting to understand, how are we connected?” she says.
Today, the artist experiments with materials found in the landscape to explore the relationship between nature and society. As an example, she reflects on her discovery of Mica, a mineral commonly found in Nigeria that is also used widely in the cosmetics industry to add shine and sparkle to products. In a time of glitz and glamour in society, she says “you put it on your skin and you imagine you're a superstar.”
Exploring and creating connections is a core part of Nkanga’s practice. Often incorporating tapestry in her installations, a traditional craft inspired by her mother and practiced since childhood, she says “the notion of weaving is so important in thinking about this because as you put each thread together, you're creating new colours…the more you're mixing the yarns, twisting, connecting, you're able to create this other expansion and explosions of colours.”
With the fast-paced nature of society today, the artist set out to push the boundaries of the medium, experimenting with modern-day techniques to create tapestries. “It's not even possible, in the traditional sense of weaving, to make a tapestry like this. It might take up to 12 – 13 years to make one tapestry,” she says.
For her “Unearthed” series, a collection of four large-scale tapestries for the Kunsthaus Bregenz, Nkanga worked with experts from the renowned at the TextielMuseum in Tilburg. The team connected crafts to create the works in a form that reflects both tradition and society today.
The artist spoke in conversation with Theodora Vischer, Chief Curator of the Fondation Beyeler, and the event is part of the Artist Talks series, co-presented with Fondation Beyeler.
