Nnenna OkoreUlukububa - INFINITE FLOW

‘In the skin’, writes Michel Serres, ‘through the skin, the world and

the body touch, defining their common border’.1 Cloth, like skin,

also forms both a boundary and a point of contact between human

and material worlds. Throughout life, whether in the wearing of

fabrics, the purchase of things, the shaping of media, or the giving

of gifts, the material world is used both to bind people in social

and economic relationships, and at the same time to define their

difference. Exploring these ambiguities, Nnenna Okore named this

exhibition Ulukububa, an Igbo word which translates as ‘butterfly’,

but which also connotes the idea of a free-flowing, unbounded

entity. In examining the permeations and flows between human

and material worlds, Okore’s tactile installations expose the ways

in which materials are intertwined in our lives, and perpetually

implicated in the ways we understand ourselves and each other.

Working with organic substances such as clay and wax, or with

discarded materials such as rope and newspaper, Okore employs

manually repetitive techniques; weaving, twisting, sewing, dyeing,

waxing and rolling her media. Mirroring the rhythms of both natural

and mechanical reproduction, the multiple units in her work reveal

the labour of her hand, echoing the wider social processes that

transform the organic into the commodity, and the discarded

commodity into a cultural product.

In works such as Oriaku, and Igba Nkwu, her interwoven ceramic

forms refer specifically to the role of textiles in society: ‘I’m working

with the social understanding of fabric’ she explains, ‘Nigerians

attach a lot of sentiment to the type and brand of fabric they wear. It is

integral to their self esteem and carriage; the richer the quality of the

fabric, the higher the self-esteem of the wearer.’ During Nigeria’s oil

boom of the 1970s and early 80s, the term Oriaku came to describe

a wife who conspicuously enjoyed the wealth of her husband, and

who flaunted her prosperity through cloth and fashion, as Okore

witnessed:

At the time I was growing up, in the Nigeria of the early 1980s, these affluent women favoured a fashion of lacy, spiralled designs, in transparent materials. They would float around in these clothes and feel really fabulous and glamorous. This feeling is reflected in my work, and for me, the name ‘Oriaku’ embodies that period and those people.2

The prestige and social significance of these fabrics were particularly

emphasised during celebrations and festivities, as Okore explains:

Nnenna OkoreUlukububa - InFInite Flow

Ashioke IV (2007), clay and burlap,71 x 89 x 10 cm. Private Collection

Cover: Shield Me (2008), Newspaper, acrylic colour, starch, yarn, and rope, 145 x 137 x 26 cm,Channel 4 Art Collection. Photo: Jonathan Greet

Cloth and festivity often walk hand in hand, especially among wealthy Nigerians. There is a degree of showboating, and a flaunting of wealth that goes with wearing rich fabrics, and there is also a sense of festivity – people want to dance, and be seen in their best attire. My work ‘Dance Piece’ speaks of this proud mien; the free-spirited bearing as seen in butterflies. ‘Igba Nkwu’ refers to the pre-Christian era wedding ceremony, an auspicious time to appear in glamorous attire. It provides an avenue for women to celebrate their femininity, and to appear graceful and elegant in their measured movement and carriage.

Whilst the wearing of these rich fabrics might celebrate and

underscore shared bonds at times of festivity, as a commodity and a

marker of wealth it can also accentuate the class divisions in society,

as Okore makes clear: ‘It’s only a small minority who actually get

to enjoy these expensive fabrics. This misplaces priorities; there

are so many people who can’t afford this kind of attire, but cultural

pressures force them to go borrowing in order to keep up with the

Joneses.’ Deeply conscious of these tensions in Nigerian society,

Okore explores the role of materials across the social spectrum,

explaining the impetus behind her work with discarded materials:

Something that has really inspired me is the way in which less

privileged Nigerians, who can’t afford these affluent or even comfortable lifestyles, are quick to find ways to salvage their circumstances. Many of my pieces speak of transformation and reformation, such as ‘Baggage’ made out of plastic bags, and ‘Rope’, and ‘Shield Me’, both made from discarded newspapers. It is not usual of course, to reuse these materials in this manner, but Nigerians would reuse them in other ways – for instance snack sellers may use old newspaper as food wrappers, or table covers; recycled cans are used as lamps; children make toys out of discarded plastics and so on.

During her undergraduate studies at the University of Nsukka,

Okore met and worked with celebrated sculptor El Anatsui. Inspired

by his unconventional approach to materials, she soon began her

own experiments with media and process:

El helped me broaden my scope beyond the canvas, beyond the paper, and challenged me to bring my environment and other experiences into my works. That was a turning point for me, when I started making sculptures and installations. I looked around me, and discovered how much was there to be transformed into art.

Rope (2006), newspaper, various dimensionsPhoto: Jonathan Greet

News Rings (2007), newspapers, 77 x 104 x 8cm

Inspired to develop her practice further, Okore moved to Iowa in

2002 to pursue an MFA in Sculpture. Having completed graduate

studies, she was appointed Assistant Professor of Art at North Park

University in Chicago in 2005. She describes how moving to the

US proved to be pivotal to her practice, giving her in particular new

perspectives on capitalism, consumerism and materiality:

When I moved out here and saw so many useful materials being thrown away, I began thinking of how they are valuable where I come from, how they mean so much, and are not wasted as they are here. Although there is a big culture of recycling here, it isn’t driven by the same motives, or seen in the same light. There isn’t so much value attached to the materials, so they’re not reused, as they would be in relatively poorer Nigerian communities. Drawing on what I saw here, reclamation became a huge part of my work – recycling, reclaiming, reforming, reconditioning, and reconstructing what was no longer considered useful. I was trying to find meaning for these materials, to find ways of giving them value, especially coming from my background.

Okore boasts a wide range of perspectives and experiences: she

was born in Australia, raised in Nigeria, schooled in Swaziland

and has travelled across Asia, Africa and the US with her work.

Whilst in some respects her practice makes direct commentary

on understandings and approaches to the material world that are

specific to Nigerian society, her discourses are at the same time

profoundly engaged with universally resonant political concerns. At

once a point of contact and a boundary, Okore’s works reflect both

an intimate understanding of contemporary Nigeria, and a worldly

engagement with the global challenges and contradictions of late

capitalism. Neither binding nor divisive, her textiles are caught in

constant flux between human and material worlds, between the

organic and the synthetic, the specific and the universal: unbounded

forms in infinite flow.

Serres, Michel (1998) Les Cinq Sens cf Juliet Ash & Renate Stauss (2008)A Touch of Cloth: The Culture of the Haptic’ rcade.rca.ac.uk This and all following citations: Okore, Nnenna (18/09/08)Telephone interview with author, Chicago / London.

The title ‘Ulukububa’ was first used by Chijioke Onuora in his 1999 art exhibition

at the University of Nigeria. Alaigbe I (2008), clay and burlap, 215 x 91 x 10cm

Oriaku (2008), clay and rope, 163 x 92 x 8cm

Polly Savage, London 2008

2

1

Ashioke Series, Variation V (2008),clay and burlap, 71 x 89 x 10 cm

Ashioke Series, Variation VII (2008),clay and burlap, 71 x 89 x 10 cm

eui ex eliquis nos elessi, bla faccum quat, corer, 200 x 300 cmAshoebi II (2008), clay and burlap, 127 x 229 x18cm

Dance Piece (2008),magazines and rope, 178 x 102 x 18cm

Above & right:Fading Histories (2008), Yellow Pages, 170 x 117 x 15cm

Below: Dance Piece

Igba Nkwu (2008), clay and jute rope, 125 x107 x 8cm Rapa, (2008), clay and rope, 198 x 249 x 16cm

Sample Material (2008),magazines and thread, 200 x 94 x 21cm Uku Joju (2008), clay and burlap, 142 x 160 x 21cm

Untitled (2008),Yellow Pages and White Pages, 168 x 135 x 16cm Ulukububa (2008), clay and rope, 216 x 165 x 20cm

eui ex eliquis nos elessi,bla faccum quat, corer, 200 x 300 cm

Above & right:Ashioke Series, Variation VI (2008),

clay and burlap, 71 x 89 x 10 cm

Below & left:Ashioke Series, Variation VIII (2008),

clay and burlap, 71 x 89 x 10 cm

Shield Me (2008), newspaper, acrylic colour, starch, yarn and rope, 145 x 137 x 26 cm, Channel 4 Art Collection. Baggage (2008), plastic bags, 102 x 178 x 26cm

Education2005 M.F.A Sculpture, University of Iowa, USA. 2004 M.A Sculpture, University of Iowa, USA. 1999 B.A Painting, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. (First Class Honours).

Professional Experience2008 Visiting Artist, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.2005 – Assistant Professor (Video Art, Performance, Drawing, Three Dimensional Design, Advanced Sculpture, and Non-Western Art History), North Park University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.2002 – Teaching Assistant (Sculpture I), Instructor of Record,05 University of Iowa, USA.

Selected Solo Exhibitions2008 Ulukububa – Infinite Flow, October Gallery, London, UK 2008 Affrica West: Nnenna Okore, Oriel Mostyn Gallery, Llandudno, Wales, UK. 2007 Reflections, Contemporary African Art Gallery, New York City, USA.2007 Sub-consciousness, Adam Hall Gallery, Wheaton College, Illinois, USA.2005 Paper to Paper, Armature Gallery, University of Iowa, USA.2004 Accumulations, Arts Iowa City, Iowa City, USA. 2003 Re-presented, Armature Gallery, University of Iowa, USA.2002 Beyond the Lines, Didi Museum, Lagos, Nigeria. 2001 Metaphors, Alternative Space, Lagos, Nigeria.

Selected Group Exhibitions2008 Angaza Afrika, October Gallery, London, UK. 2008 Affrica West, Artspace, Galeri, Caernarfon, Wales, UK.2008 Channel4 Art Exhibition, Channel4/Art4 Gallery, London, UK.2008 Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary, Museum of Arts and Design, New York City, USA.2008 Refabrication, Carlson Gallery, North Park University, Chicago, USA.

2008 Trading Spaces, Binghamton University, New York, USA. 2006 African Contemporary Art Exhibition, Dakar Biennale, Senegal.2005 Twelfth SOFA International Exposition, Chicago, USA.2003 Migrations, Legion Arts CSPS, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. 2003 Units, Legion Arts CSPS, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. 2001 New Energies, Nimbus Gallery and Mydrim Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria. Curator: Prof. El Anatsui, University of Nigeria.1999 B.A Exhibition, Ana Gallery, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.

BIOGRAPHY

Left to right:Her Pride (2007), clay and twine, 71 x 89 x 10cmCollection: Johannes Lehmann

Isi Awusa II (2008), newspaper, 173 x 71 x 26cmCollection: Josef Vascovitz

Anyanwu Ututu (2008), clay and rope, 137 x 137cm

Alaigbe II (2008), clay, rope and burlap, 190 x 64 x 10cm Collection: Josef Vascovitz

Grants/Awards/Residencies2007 Artist Full Fellowship at Global Art Village, Delhi, India.2007 Residency at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine, USA. 2007 UNESCO- Aschberg Fellowship for Artists, Gruber Jez Foundation, Mexico. 2004 Emma McAllister Novel Scholarship, University of Iowa, USA. 1999 Valedictorian (Fine Arts), University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.

Selected Bibliographies2008 Using Old Materials to Put a New Face on the Museum, Roberta Smith, New York Times, September 26, 2008.2007 Mind Openers-Women Artists in Africa, Barbara Murray, Farafina Magazine, No 8, January, 2007.2006 As Dak’art Beckons, Ugochukwu Uwaerzuoke, This Day, March 26, 2006.2003 Chasing the Paper Trails with Vision, Vidya Murthy, Daily Iowan, June 26, 2003.2002 Plenty Art Shows, Lean Patrons, Chukka Nnabuife, The Guardian (Nigeria), May 21, 2002.2001 The Metaphors of Today, Victor Ikwele, National Interest, August 19, 2001.2001 New Energies, rebellion against the old, Ozolua Uhakheme, The Guardian (Nigeria), May 15, 2001.

This catalogue was published onthe occasion of the exhibition

at the October Gallery 16th October – 6th December 2008

Design by Jonathan Greet© 2008 October Gallery

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form without the permission of the publishers.

October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3ALwww.octobergallery.co.uk Tel: + 44 (0)20 7242 7367 art@octobergallery.co.uk