Former betterArts Resident Ruby Amanze in Brooklyn Gallery Show through April 6
/Six Draughtsmen, showing at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, highlights the diverse drawing practices of six artists. Arguably the oldest of all mediums, drawing has evolved to redefine and expand its parameters in this increasingly experimental era of contemporary art. Navigating somewhere between the traditions of the past and an imagined future, contemporary drawing embraces and challenges drawing conventions in medium, surface and concept.
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| By Ruby Amanze |
In the past 15 years, there has been a surge of
critical discourse on contemporary and experimental drawing, but artists
of African descent have been disproportionately absent from the
international discussion. The work of many pioneer Nigerian artists
shows evidence of a strong historical connection to drawing. Currently,
however, drawing in a Nigerian context has primarily been designated a
preparatory exercise rather than being recognized as a finished medium.
Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze, Toyin Odutola, Temitayo Ogunbiyi, Wura-Natasha Ogunji, Nnenna Okore and Odun Orimolade
are six artists of Nigerian descent who explore aspects of drawing in
their current practices in Nigeria and in the U.S. Though most of
the artists primarily practice in the U.S., at the time this exhibition
was conceived, five of the six women found themselves actively engaged
in a studio practice in Nigeria. Aside from those who only draw,
participating artists also identify as installation artists, performance
and video artists, mixed media artists and sculptors.Yet through their
various mediums, all are intrinsically invested in a dialogue with
drawing, both two dimensionally as well as by taking mark-making, line,
erasure, transparency, memory and process, off the page and into three
dimensional space.
This exhibition is curated by
artist Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze as part of her culminating research for
the Fulbright Scholars Program in Nigeria. From August 2012 to June
2013, Amanze joined the faculty as a resident artist in the Department
of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts is located at 80 Hanson Pl., Brooklyn, NY 11217. Can't make it to the gallery? See Ruby's amazing work at www.rubyamanze.com.
The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts is located at 80 Hanson Pl., Brooklyn, NY 11217. Can't make it to the gallery? See Ruby's amazing work at www.rubyamanze.com.
