October Gallery, London, United Kingdom
17 May 2017 - 29 Jul 2017
Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga at October Gallery, London
October Gallery invites you to the Private View: Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga Tushauriane – Let’s Talk About It
Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga, born in Kenya in 1960, makes sculptural works primarily out of oxidised sheet metal and wire, materials that celebrate Jua Kali, a Swahili adage that translates as ‘under the hot sun’ and which is an aesthetic proposition based on the beauty of organic degradation. The artist uses the weather itself to stain her materials, leaving them exposed to the natural cycle of wind, sun and rain before assembling them into the three-dimensional dialogues that are her final works.
Her process is inspired by the pioneering work of the Mabati Women’s Group, in Kenya in the 1960s, which used the same sheet metal to transform the roofs of buildings. By using this material, the women were able to inhabit homes with roofs that could successfully collect water, thus saving them time and empowering the women in the process. Gakunga draws on their work in her own practice, weaving together a diversity of materials to visually and physically articulate the concept of dialogue.
OPENING EVENT
Wednesday, 17th May, 2017, 6.00 pm – 9.00 pm.
Opening speech at 7.30 pm by Samallie Kiyingi, Artnaka Founder.
GALLERY TALK
Saturday 20th May, 3.00 pm at October Gallery. Entry Free.
To accompany the exhibition, Tushauriane – Let’s Talk About It, artist Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga will talk about her new work and creative process.
October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3AL
