'The Elemental Pull of Otobong Nkanga' – Frieze Magazine

17 September 2024

What does it mean to smoulder, crack open and emerge from the ashes? Such elemental and existential questions preoccupy Nigerian artist Otobong Nkanga, whose inaugural solo show at Lisson Gallery contains objects, tapestries and sound installations that unite disparate materials into ritualistic compositions.

In the show’s titular work, We Come from Fire and Return to Fire (2024), a heavy hand-braided rope clamped with iridescent, smoked-raku ceramic beads snakes around precious stones on a hand-tufted carpet, reaching up to the skylight. The careful arrangement is at once imposing and enticing: I have to resist the urge to lie on the rug and absorb the energy of the obsidian, tourmaline and labradorite. The carpet’s design was inspired by the constituent minerals of pyrargyrite: pyr and argyros being Ancient Greek for, respectively, fire and silver. The amorphous rug contains psychedelic colours and patterns; black lines slice through layered shades of purple peppered with spores of red and cobalt.

Towers of ceramic punctuate the gallery space, emerging from the floor like the burnt trunks of palm trees. One, Beacon – Resilience (2024), stands 1.6 metres tall – an ambitious height for cast-ceramic. Circular pots containing medicinal herbs like nettle, thyme and ‘herb-of-grace’ appear around the bases of these scorched trees as reminders of the former healing qualities of this ceramic forest, and of its vitality and regenerative potential.

Hanging on an adjacent wall is Sunburst (2024), one of two larger woven textile works. Historically, tapestries often documented significant religious or political events; in contrast, Nkanga eschews narrative and scatters abstract clues across the works. Take the fiery copper Between Embers and Ashes (2024), which extends more than 3.5 metres in length. Tree branches reach out across the surface; fungal shapes bloom at the bottom while small orbs of colour are dotted across like little celestial bodies. These motifs are rich and chaotic. Both wall hangings consist of four layers – or floats – which the artist weaves between to illuminate some elements and carefully conceal others. These works feel sacred, pulsating with mystical energy.