The Earth’s survival is reliant on water. Nigerian artist Otobong Nkanga conveys such a message in a vibrant, large-scale tapestry, presented by Lumen Travo Gallery during Art Rotterdam 2022.
'Tied to the other Side' is about how we deal with the elements of earth and water. The tapestry shimmers, a multicoloured, impressionist blue.
For Nkanga, the depth of the sea and the earth also signifies the depth of time.
As our quests and demands for minerals expand, the deep sea and deeper levels in the earth become terrains for global corporations to mine such valuable ores as copper, nickel and cobalt.
On the blue tapestry we see this craving take on the shape of a scaffold-like structure with arms, plants and a container attached to it, and in the shape of a needle that pricks a human body. The needle represents the machinery and system that exploits people, land and sea.
Tied to the other side measures 3.5 x 6.5 meters and was woven according to Nkanga's specifications and drawings by the Tilburg Textile Lab on the recently purchased Dornier loom. This is a state-of-the-art loom that can handle complex patterns and structures and can weave rugs up to three and a half meters wide.
Images:
Otobong Nkanga, Tied to the Other Side, 2021, KUB in Venice
Credits: Fulvio Orsenigo