Otobong Nkanga
Kano, NG, 1974 Works and lives in Antwerpen
After attending art schools in Nigeria and Paris, Otobong Nkanga studied at the State Academy and at DasArts in Amsterdam. In 2015 she was awarded the Yanghun Prize, following the example set by, for instance, Isa Genzken and Akram Zaatari. Places where she has exhibited work include M HKA, Tate Modern, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and art biennales in Berlin, Sao Paolo and Lyon.
The multidisciplinary practice of Otobong Nkanga is comprised of drawings, installations, video, photography and performance. Her work focusses on the relationship between the environment, architecture and history. Nkanga is interested in ideas about land and the value of natural resources. These predominantly political topics are incorporated into poetic combinations of autobiographic and collective narratives, memories and concepts. When it comes to performative works, the artist often plays the leading role herself.
Nkanga examines the changeability of identity and perception against the background of a burdened landscape. She is particularly fascinated by what she describes as 'bling'. This term refers literally to the shining surfaces of stones and minerals, but also to our contemporary longing to constantly enrich and adorn ourselves. In this way she touches on the negative aspect of 'bling': the complex mechanisms of supply and demand that create global power relations.