Notes on Art as an Ancient Language

Introduction

• Art as a means of communication across time.
• Personal journey to see prehistoric art in Niger.

The Journey to Niger

• Travel to the Sahara Desert to find ancient art.
• Experiences included:
  • Long conversations and Tuareg music.
  • Laughter and whimsical shadow dances.
• Discovery of delicate drawings on rock faces.
  • Reflects a time of abundance with lakes, forests, hippos, and giraffes.
  • Engravings show intention to be seen and admired.

Significance of Art

• Art represents the importance of self-recording and expression.
• Preceded written language as a method of communication.
• Messages conveyed through art transcend time and culture.

Personal Artistic Journey

• Artist's focus on creating art about women:
  • Figures representing pregnancy, wounds, and repair.
  • Hybrid humans and feminine machines.
• Female body as a powerful cultural representation.

Growing Up in Kenya

• Nairobi in the 1970s appeared modern but had underlying issues:
  • Colonial traumas and political repression.
  • Personal experiences of authoritarianism and freedom restrictions.
• Creative escape through art to communicate freely.

Moving to New York

• Initial feelings of disorientation in a new environment.
• Finding creative rhythm through collecting materials:
  • Pictures, knickknacks, and discarded objects transformed into collages.
• Art as a way to remember and heal from past experiences.

Major Artworks and Themes

• Creation of large sculptures representing resilience:
  • First large sculpture titled "She's Got the Whole World in Her."
  • Incorporation of found objects to connect with home.
• Sculptures as representations of fractured histories and connections:
  • Large figures symbolize African women and cultural strength.

Supernatural Figures and Cultural References

• Creation of mythological characters in bronze:
  • Nguva, a water woman from East African lore.
  • Mama Ray, a sea goddess with a connection to the ocean.
  • Crocodile figure representing the land's memory.

Commission by The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2018)

• First-ever commission to create sculptures for the museum's facade.
• Four seated deities embodying tranquility, dignity, and feminine divinity.

Impact of the Pandemic

• Sculptures served as symbols of hope and calm during the crisis.
• Artistic journey as a means of re-examining home and identity.

Conclusion

• Art as a powerful tool for empowerment and expression.
• Acknowledgment of roots in Africa as significant to artistic identity.
• Commitment to create art that empowers women and connects to the future.