Otobong Nkanga

**Otobong Nkanga **(born 1974) be Nigerian-born visual artist, tapestry maker den performance artist, wey dey Antwerp, Belgium. Insyd 2015, she win de Yanghyun Prize.

Insyd ein work she dey explore de social den topographical changes of ein environment, she dey observe demma inherent complexities wey she dey bab how resources such as soil den earth, den demma potential values, be subject give regional den cultural analysis. Dem  feature ein work for chaw institutions wey dey include de Tate Modern de KW Institute (Berlin), de Stedelijk Museum den de biennale of Sharjah. She sana take part insyd de 20th Biennale of Sydney.

## Ein Early life den education
Dem born Otobong Nkanga for Kano, Nigeria, insyd 1974 wey she spend chaw of ein childhood for Lagos. Ein interest insyd art den environment develop from ein childhood as she go collect minerals den draw images plus mica for de pavements of Lagos top. Na ein mummie be polytechnic teacher. Ein poppie die as na she be seven years. Ein mummy then for provide give Nkanga den ein three siblings. For ein teenage years insyd, ein family relocate go Paris, France, secof ein mummie ein work. Nkanga study art for Obafemi Awolowo University wey dey Ile-Ife wey she continue ein studies for Ecole des Beaux-Arts wey dey Paris. Ein mummie die for car accident insyd just as she start ein university studies. She sana get ein master's degree insyd Performing Arts for Dasarts, Amsterdam, wey dey Netherlands insyd 2008. She currently dey stay den work for Antwerp, Belgium.

## Ein Work den career

### Ein Themes den materials
Throughout ein work, Nkanga explore themes of neocolonialism, ecological violence, den environmental protection. For example, *The Weight of Scars* she dey depict de scars of mineral extraction. Nkanga ein first US survey exhibition, *To Dig a Hole That Collapses Again*, dey send cautionary message about de world wey get insatiable hunger for material resources den say ego do anything den obtain dem. *In Pursuit of Bling* dey relay de same message by say ego draw attention to extractivism den de world ein desire say ego obtain rare minerals den metals. Insyd dese ways, sam site specificity dey for ein work, as she dey state: "My work be interconnect plus de places live for. Wat dey happen for one dey affect anoda. Dis be true for nature too."**

### Ein Career
Ein first personal exhibition, *Classicism & Beyond*, happen insyd 2002 for non-profit organization, Project Row Houses wey dey Houston. Insyd 2007 go 2008, in response to de work *Baggage* (1972 – 2007/2008) by American artist Allan Kaprow, Nkanga design sam performance for de Kunsthalle Bern. De initial work wey na edey base for issues of movement of goods from one point of de planet go anoda, Nkanga dey introduce post-colonial dimension. As evidence, de artist for sam interview insyd, de concepts of identity, cultural specificities sana dey de centre of ein artistic gesture of re-appropriation.

Insyd 2008, de project *Contained measures of Land* use soil both as sam symbol of de territory den competition den conflict. Year later, for ein residence at Pointe-Noire, wey dey Congo, she collect eight different colours of Earth. Portuguese den de French wey colonize Pointe-Noire. Art critic Philippe Pirotte rep say Nkanga cam say she go create sam kind of vehicle for de presentation den de transportation wey no dey define de use value for sam era wey everybro be obsessed plus de transformation of natural tools resources wey serve humanity.

Ein project, *Contained Measures of Tangible Memories* wey start insyd 2010, from ein first trip go Morocco, she explore de practices of dyeing. She essentially transform objects insyd circulation go objects d'art.

## Ein Oda activities
Na Nkanga be part of de jury wey select Gaëlle Choisne as winner of de Marcel Duchamp Prize insyd 2024.

## Ein Exhibitions

* 2010: *Taste of a Stone. Ikǫ*, Charlottenborg Copenhagen
* 2012: *Contained Measures of Shifting States*. Tate Modern
* 2015: Biennale d'art contemporain de Lyon
* 2016: D*e Encounter That Took a Part of Me*. Nottingham Contemporary
* 2017: documenta 14, Athens and Kassel
* 2018: *To Dig A Hole That Collapses Again*, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
* 2019: *From Where I Stand*, Tate St. Ives
* 2020: *There's No Such Thing as Solid Ground*, Gropius Bau
* 2021: *Of Cords Curling Into Mountains*, Castello di Rivoli
* 2022: *Underneath the Shade We Lay Grounded*, Sint-Janshospitaal Brugge
* 2024: *Cadence*, MOMA New York

## References


## External links

* Official website.