Exhibition
Otobong Nkanga: There’s No Such Thing as Solid Ground
Otobong Nkanga, Solid Maneuvers, 2015. Various metals, Forex, acrylic, tar, salt, make-up, vermiculite, Dimensions variable Installation view Crumbling Through Powdery Air, Portikus, 2015 Photo: Helena Schlichting, courtesy: Portikus
Otobong Nkanga’s exhibition There’s No Such Thing as Solid Ground can be discovered online here. The artist’s interest lies in the complex relationship between humans and land. In her works, she explores this relationship within the tension between exploitative extraction processes and structures of care and repair.
Otobong Nkanga evokes the idea that the human body and the landscape on which it moves are interdependent. Based on extensive research and the interweaving of various media such as drawing, installation and performance, she traces the movement of minerals, goods and people in order to explore in depth economic and ecological processes. In her work, she also investigates the differing meanings ascribed to natural resources in various cultures and the violent relationship on which their extraction and further processing is based – thus challenging traditional ways of thinking.
Within the scope of the exhibition There’s No Such Thing as Solid Ground, Otobong Nkanga has adapted her work Diaspore to reflect the specific context of the presentation at the Gropius Bau in Berlin. Originally conceived as a performative work, Diaspore is now shown as a site-specific installation. More information
Curated by Stephanie Rosenthal with Clara Meister
Funded by
Part of BerlinArt Week
Kindly supported by the FlemishCommunity, FreifrauManufaktur
Partners: Wall, Bouvet
Media partners: BerlinArt Link, Exberliner, MissyMagazine, KubaParis, MousseMagazine