Description

Otobong Nkanga. Unearthed

The Earth’s life and survival are reliant on water. Otobong Nkanga conveys such a message in four vibrant, large-scale tapestries, hanging separately on each floor of Kunsthaus Bregenz, a tree trunk that rises from a shallow hollow, appearing to pierce the ceiling of all subsequent floors, landscapes made from clay, water and glass objects.

Stones, fabrics, clay and plants are the materials that Otobong Nkanga employs in her installations, enabling them speak of the land and the people they originate from. The works are always intended metaphorically, as symbols for the global system, involving imagery of migration, transformations, appropriation, and loss.

In the catalogue Otobong Nkanga – Unearthed, Thomas D. Trummer expounds on the concept of the exhibition and the new works that have been created for Kunsthaus Bregenz. Essays by Angela Dimitrakaki and Taylor Le Melle who examine Nkanga´s work from differing perspectives are accompanied by large scale installation views, sketches, and paintings by the artist.