#046 Materialistic: Turiya Magadlela, Samuel Nnorom & Theda Sandiford
154NY Contemporary African Art Fair, Starrett-Lehigh Bldg 601 W. 26th Street, NYC 10001 May 1 - May 4, 2024
KATES-FERRI PROJECTS presents MATERIALISTIC, a trio presentation of artworks from Turiya Magadlela, Samuel Nnorom and Theda Sandisford at 1-54NY Contemporary African Art Fair, Booth #7, located at Starrett-Lehigh Building 601 West 26th Street, NY, 10001 on view Wednesday, May 1 until Saturday, May 4, 2024.
The three artists are known for their usage of nontraditional materials such as cultural textiles, discarded clothing, yarns, and found fibers. Through use of these materials, the artists will be creating a rich and thought-provoking space for dialogue about the environmental and social implications of materialism, consumerism, and fast fashion, as they relate to local and gender identity, through a contemporary African lens.
Turiya Magadlela – based in Cape Town, South Africa – will exhibit powerful and compelling works of art using materials such as women’s nylon pantyhose stitched together and stretched over canvas to create active color theories and convey the artist’s concerns with the fragility of women around the world and their lack of equality. “I draw to matters that concern me, such as the way women are treated in my country of Africa, with the violent cutting of female circumcision in newborn babies and young girls. I speak to the misfortunes of inequalities in female-based industries as well as matters such as ageism, racialism, and how capitalism without concern for moral values has left many women and children in hell holes all around the world.”
Samuel Nnorom – based in Nigeria – will create large scale, tapestry-like soft sculptures made of traditional African wax fabrics, foam, and scraps of textiles, engulfing the walls like barnacles or ivy. By sewing, tying, and cutting, Nnorom creates intricate constellations of foam balls stitched together, a metaphor for a “fabric of society” composed of closed social structures forming the bubbles in which our daily lives are wrapped in. Nnorom’s fiber art, with its tactile and textured nature symbolizes the interconnectedness of cultures and societies. “I use this medium to communicate complex narratives about identity and tradition, and its place in the contemporary art world.”
Theda Sandiford – based in the Bahamas – creates fiber-based mixed media works that discuss black women’s beauty and identity relating to their hair and hairstyle.
“Using racial conflict as a starting point, I juxtapose various fibers with a variety of found materials using free form weaving, coiling, knotting, wrapping, and jewelry making techniques. Meticulously collected materials, transformed by their collective memory become social fabric weaving together contemporary issues and personal narratives. 100-foot extensions of rope, twine, and yarn impeccably wrapped, woven, tied and embellished with recycled beads, ribbon, lace, tape and bottle cap bobbles lures you into my hue-imbued, enmeshed installations symbolizing natural hair. These bold albeit whimsically twisted and locked forms gingerly invite the audience into off the-wall conversations about micro aggressions against black women and their hair.”
In summary, Materialistic is a dynamic visual conversation on how contemporary African artists are using alternative materials to create their own narratives while exploring the intersection between art, culture, identity, and sustainability. It has the potential to inspire deep conversations on consumerism, foster a deeper appreciation for traditional art forms and contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive art market.