Otobong Nkanga

Artistic Profile

Style

Formal Strategies

Accumulation and stratification of materialsSensory activation (scent, sound, touch, sight)Site-specificity and architectural responsivenessTemporal duration (performances lasting hours, slow engagement)Scale variation (intimate drawings to monumental installations)Material transformation (raw to processed)

Visual Characteristics

Multi-layered installations combining diverse materialsMonumental tapestries with kaleidoscopic fiber compositionsOrganic forms (rope sculptures, ceramic vessels, glass elements)Earthen color palettes (ochres, browns, blacks, mineral hues)Fragmented body imagery integrated with landscapeNetwork/web-like compositional structures

Evolution

Stylistic Trajectory

Evolution from performance-based identity work → material investigation of extraction → fully immersive multisensory environments addressing ecological crisis with emphasis on healing and care

Development 2010 2015

Shift toward material investigation and extraction politics. 'In Pursuit of Bling' series (2014) exploring mica and minerals. Development of tapestry practice. 'Solid Maneuvers' (2015) inspired by Namibian mines.

Early Period 2002 2010

Focus on body, identity, and cultural specificity. Performance-based explorations of movement and displacement. Projects like 'Contained Measures of Land' (2008) using soil as symbol.

Mature Period 2015 2020

Consolidation of multidisciplinary approach. Major museum exhibitions (Tate, M HKA). Documenta 14 (2017) - launched Carved to Flow Foundation. Venice Biennale Special Mention (2019).

Current Period 2020 Present

Blue-chip institutional recognition. Monumental commissions (MoMA). Integration of sensory elements (scent, sound, touch). Major awards (Nasher Prize). Focus on care, regeneration, and hope alongside critique.

Influences

Artistic Influences

Giuseppe Penone (teacher) - Arte Povera material sensibilityAllan Kaprow - performance and participation (responded to 'Baggage' 2007-2008)Professor Agbo Afolarin (teacher) - understanding materials and placeArte Povera movement - material focusLand Art - engagement with earth and sitePostcolonial theorists - critique of extraction

Cultural Influences

Nigerian culture and Yoruba traditions (kola nut rituals, spiritual practices)Childhood mineral collecting in LagosMultiple geographies of lived experience (Nigeria, France, Netherlands, Belgium)Ethnographic collections (Weltkulturen Museum Frankfurt)Colonial histories of extraction and tradeWest African material cultures and craft traditions

Theoretical Influences

Postcolonial theoryEcology and environmental philosophyMaterial agency and new materialismGeology and earth sciencesBotany and herbalismNon-Western knowledge systems

Visual Language

Color Palette

Earth tones (ochres, browns, siennas)Mineral colors (blacks, whites, grays, marbled effects)Organic greens and plant-based huesMetallic and reflective surfaces (mica, metals)Fire-related tones (charred blacks, ash grays)Occasional vibrant colors in tapestries (kaleidoscopic ranges)

Signature Elements

Braided rope 'pathways' or 'rivers' traversing installationsSpherical forms (glass, ceramic, compressed terra-cotta)Fragmented/disembodied body partsNetwork diagrams and mapping structuresMineral piles and material accumulationsMonumental tapestries suggesting ecosystems and galaxiesHandwritten poetry on walls (ephemeral, chalk)Sensory vessels containing oils and herbs

Compositional Strategies

Constellation/network formationsStratification and layeringCentral monumental elements with satellite componentsFloor-to-ceiling suspension of formsImmersive environmental enclosureOpen installation allowing multiple viewpoints and pathways

Signature Series

Major Bodies of Work

• 'In Pursuit of Bling' (2014-present) - photographs and installations exploring mica and mineral extraction
• 'The Weight of Scars' (2015) - woven textile and photography depicting mining scars
• 'Solid Maneuvers' (2015-present) - platform sculptures with minerals and processed materials
• 'From Where I Stand' (2015-present) - carpet installations based on magnified mica flakes
• 'Carved to Flow' (2017-present) - soap project funding organic farm and Athens art space
• 'Landversation' (2014-2020) - participatory dining/discussion events in São Paulo, Beirut, Shanghai, Dhaka
• 'Cadence' (2024-2025) - monumental MoMA commission
• Beacon series (2024) - charred ceramic 'palm trunk' forms
• 'Tied to the Other Side' (2021) - tapestries about earth and water elements

Themes and Subjects

Core Themes

Extraction and exploitation of natural resourcesMineral agency and material emotionalityBody-land-mineral interconnectionPostcolonial violence and ecological degradationCare, healing, and regenerationTime, memory, and geological durationMigration, displacement, and belongingNetworks of connection (social, material, geographical)Consumption and commodity transformation

Recurring Subjects

Mines and mining sites (Namibia, Cornwall)Minerals (especially mica, copper, various stones)Fragmented bodies (arms, legs, torsos)Landscapes (aerial views, topographical)Plants and herbs (medicinal, aromatic)Soil and earth (collected from multiple sites)Trade routes and circulationEthnographic objects and colonial histories

Conceptual Frameworks

Material emotionality - objects feel, think, rememberTears as ecosystem - bodily fluids contain earth's minerals'We come from fire and return to fire' - cyclical thinkingCaring as form of resistanceTime and care as synonymsHumans as minute part of larger ecosystemSite-specificity as methodologyStrata as metaphor for layers of history and meaning

Movements and Periods

Artistic Movements

Ecological Art / Eco-ArtSocially-Engaged Art / Social PracticePostcolonial Contemporary ArtMaterial-Based PracticeInstallation ArtPerformance Art (relational aesthetics influence)

Generational Context

Part of generation of African diaspora artists (born 1970s) who achieved international recognition in 2010s-2020s, working with themes of postcolonialism, ecology, and global interconnection

Art Historical Positioning

Bridges Arte Povera material sensibility (via Giuseppe Penone influence) with contemporary ecological concerns and postcolonial critique

Techniques and Mediums

Primary Mediums

Woven tapestry (digital weaving techniques at TextielLab Tilburg)Installation (multi-component environments)Performance (durational, participatory)Drawing (foundational to practice)Sculpture (ceramic, rope, glass, wood)Photography (documentary and staged)Sound (multi-channel installations)Video

Material Vocabulary

Natural fibers (wool, cotton, linen, mohair)Synthetic fibers (polyester, viscose, various technical yarns)Minerals and stones (mica, obsidian, shungite, tourmaline, labradorite)Rope (handmade using 18th-century techniques)Murano glass (hand-blown)Ceramic (glazed, smoked raku)Soil and earth (collected from various sites)Organic materials (herbs, oils, plants: lavender, mint, chamomile, palm oil)Industrial materials (tar, salt, vermiculite, make-up/cosmetics)Wood (often dead trees given 'second life')Textiles (printed, laser-cut, rusted steel)

Technical Innovations

Digital weaving techniques for large-scale tapestriesIntegration of scent and sensory activation in installationsInnovative material combinations (glass/rope/ceramic/herbs)Site-specific wall writings in chalk (intentionally ephemeral)Soap-making for social practice (O8 Black Stone project)