Onajide Shabakah Nierika- Passages Between Reality
April 12 - May 24, 2015
Under the Bridge is excited to present, Nierika - Passages Between Reality a solo exhibition by Onajide Shabaka, which investigates notions of signs/word/speech originating in the natural environment filtered by cultures through which the artist interacts.Shabaka’s sculptures and numerous works-on-paper use a variety of media, including dirt, mushrooms, and watercolor. Traces of the visual and physical worlds have been recorded and synthesized through the performative act of discreetly walking while in reflection and in quasi scientific investigation. Several specific sites were explored during 2014 for this show. Shabaka returned to one of his favorite locations, the Vermilion Iron Range in Superior National Forest, Minnesota, for further forest and botanical indicia while reengaging with his walking practice begun there in 1996.
Performative art walking has been part of the artist’s practice for over thirty years. Shabaka also participated in a month-long artist residency during Oct. 2014 in Guanajuato, Mexico sponsored by DVCAI (Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator) where he produced a suite of mixed media art works that are now being premiered.Shabaka’s art starts with both physical research and exploration of site specific locations even while still recognizing their different material and historical trajectories, all of which are material for a given art work or project.
