Mapping the Lexicon: On Yadichinma Ukoha-Kalu’s Evolving Practice
Installation view of “Otimkpu is Coming” at WHATIFTHEWORLD, Cape Town
Yadichinma Ukoha-Kalu presents a new body of work today at WHATIFTHEWORLD gallery after a 6-week residency supported by Krone and 16/16. To mark the occasion, we reflect on the artist’s shape-shifting practice - one that we have had the pleasure of being a part of.
The exhibition is open until September 14th, 2024.
Detail shots of work made during the South Africa residency, 2018.
In 2018, during a residency facilitated by 16/16 in the Western Cape, we write about witnessing Yadichinma at work:
"John O'Donohue said, "Beauty isn't all about just nice. beauty is about more rounded substantial becoming. So I think beauty in that sense is about an emerging fullness, a greater sense of grace and elegance, a deeper sense of depth, and also a kind of homecoming for the enriched memory of your unfolding life. Watching Yadichinma create is seeing this becoming unfold. She is quiet, reflective, this gentle nature belying a creative tempest raging just beneath the surface. ideas escape, coming up for air before they dive back into her mind. And then it's quiet again, before another bubbling over. Her works are taking on a three dimensional nature. From a flat plane, layers are being built up. Layers of yarn and thread and metal wire and god knows what else. it's all so beautiful; embedded in the visual, settling in the visceral.”
This residency became the foundation of her work taking on a three-dimensional form. She began shaping a tactile diary, a series of marks and imprints—early manifestations of what would become a sophisticated dialogue between material and concept. “Through mark making and form building,” she reflects, “I investigate how material evolves over time, gaining character and form.” These works were more than drawings; they were maps guiding her toward the three-dimensional possibilities of her practice, laying the groundwork for the future. As part of this practice, a language of mark-making inspired by Nsibidi graphic communication, began to develop. In her own words, “The language system I've crafted is an homage to the ancient African scripts like of my people—the Igbo.”
“Fragments of a communion", 2024, watercolour on paper, 15.2 x 10.5 cm (variable)
Five years later in 2023, we presented the work from this 2018 residency at the FNB Art Joburg fair, completing a full cycle in this creation-dissemination journey. The 2018 drawings now served as the backbone for new soapstone sculptures, each a meticulously crafted universe. These works are not static objects but dynamic conversations between material, time, and space.
“Matters of Space and Time”, 2022, carved soapstone on hand-carved mahogany blocks, variable
”Projections for conversion”, 2018, Set of 2, oil pastel, wool thread and cotton thread on brown paper, 21 x 29.7 cm
2024: Cape Town Residency – Beyond Dimensions
A chance encounter at the FNB Art Joburg fair led to a new residency opportunity in South Africa. Yadichinma’s newest work, created during her residency at WHATIFTHEWORLD gallery in Cape Town, represents a new evolution in her practice. While her earlier works explored three-dimensionality through materiality, these new forms now reach beyond the physical into the spiritual and performative.
Masquerade making work in progress. Images courtesy the artist.
Otimkpu is a fictitious masquerade that is inspired by Igbo cosmology and the socio-political landscape of Nigeria. The masquerade, named Otimkpu, which means "cry" or "one who eulogizes another," embodies a collective voice that bridges the spiritual and physical realms, reflecting both traditional and contemporary experiences. The concept emerged from exploring Igbo symbols and crafting fabric masks, eventually evolving into a full costume and performance piece.
As an attempt to create a bridge between tradition and the zeitgeist, Otimkpu addresses themes of vocal expression and collective lamentation, symbolising the Nigerian public's reactions to economic hardships, political disappointments, and social media discourse. It critiques and reimagines "the Nigerian ideal," encouraging reflection on national aspirations and realities.
In its final version, a performance will integrate spoken word, using tweets that express public grievances and reinterpreting political speeches, including President Tinubu’s inaugural address. Movement sequences, inspired by the nervous system's responses to trauma (fight, flight, freeze), are choreographed to convey the masquerade's message. A soundscape will combine voices reciting political texts and natural sounds from the residency environment, creating a layered auditory experience.
Part of the artistic process also involves creating watercolor paintings, cut and rejoined with needle and thread to form abstract compositions representing a support system akin to the human nervous system.
“Support System III”, 2024, watercolour on paper, 96 x 53 (cm)
The sculptures, with their tactile surfaces and intricate constructions, become active participants in a larger, collective experience. They embody a shared grief, a mourning for lost histories and suppressed voices, but they also stand as exercises in hope, channels through which resilience and renewal are practiced.
Looking Forward - Otimkpu Is Coming
Yadichinma Ukoha-Kalu’s practice is a testament to the power of sustained inquiry and the relentless pursuit of meaning. Each residency, each exhibition, is not merely a milestone but a critical chapter in a larger narrative—one that is still unfolding. The work she presents today is a powerful statement, yet it is also a promise of what is to come.
