In November, works by Ngozi Schommers and Natalia Orendain del Castillo were presented at Omenka Gallery from their residency projects at the Arthouse Foundation.
Schommers presented a project titled Ìgwè bụ ényí (There is Strength in Numbers), which examines the subject of childlessness – whether caused by infertility or personal obligations and the stigma that surrounds women in such situations. Rendered in a pointillist technique, she created mixed media paintings that were accompanied by an installation inspired by Omugwo, a traditional rite associated with motherhood in Igbo culture in Nigeria.
In the same space, Orendain del Castillo presented a project titled 6˚ 26′ 22″ N /3˚ 21′ 30″ E, which uses the port of Lagos as a metaphorical case study to examine space and perception through an immersive and participatory format. Installations from her presentation included radio recordings, sound and video materials of the port, found footage alongside diagrams, maps and photographs. By juxtaposing perspectives, she composes different readings of the multiple elements and layers that affect and influence their environment.
Take a look at the works exhibited.
Ngozi Schommers is a mixed-media Nigerian artist based in Ghana and Germany. She interrogates social-political, religious, cultural and other elements of identity in human actions and influences.
Natalia Orendain del Castillo a Mexican born visual artist and scenographer based in Berlin. She started her practice in visual arts by specializing in sculpture. At present, she explores subjects of space perception and production, sound as a creator of space and the performativity in everyday existence, making use of immersive, installation concepts and participatory formats to explore the audience’s experience.