Portfolio
Temporary Haven Install
Curatorial Statement
In the heart of the university landscape, “Temporary Havens” is a powerful exploration of modern bordering and migration encounters. This public installation artwork features three white flag poles representing world peace and three hundred and ninety vibrant coloured mosquito nets, systematically organized to represent the refugee shelters and organizations that have a stake within refugee shelters and camps, invite viewers to engage with the complex realities faced by migrants, refugees, and internally…
DNA Inspired
My work has been centred on human conditions, taking metaphors from fabric weft and warp structures to describe values, traditions, behaviours, identities, religions, and heritage of the society like the fabric of society. However, these qualities seem like the DNA structure that makes up every society as it carries the originality of our existence. Also, the bubbles in the series can be similar to the molecular structures that move within the spiral and double helix of the DNA structures which embodies true identity.
However, in this series, I want to remind us that our true identity is humanity, our daily struggles, and the right to survival, not colour and race.
Holding On A Little Longer 1
Holding On A Little Longer 2
Fisher Man’s Net Inspired
These pieces delves into the complexities of transatlantic identities and how they relate to the appropriation and re-appropriation of global cultures. As this fabric is predominantly consumed within my community, it has become integral to our daily struggles and cultural motifs. Consequently, I am interested in exploring the diverse historical origins of African print fabric – originating from Indonesia and Europe – which is primarily consumed in Africa, and parts of America and extensively produced in Asia. These fabrics serve as a universal language that bridges gaps between global bubbles while addressing shared concerns.
The techniques employed in the studio, including weaving, tying, stitching, rolling, sewing and installation are a direct response to the human condition; a daily effort to connect and interconnect for global communality. Fabric can be viewed as a social structure that weaves together all aspects of society through its warp and weft threads. Bubbles represent individuality, personality, space and possessions – each stored or acquired over time. The hand-woven net serves as a metaphor for capturing ideas, culture, identities and knowledge across continents: much like how fishing nets capture fish from the sea.
Bindle Inspired
The Bindle Series explores the use of fabric as a metaphor for social structures and the precarity of life, exemplified by the traditional practice of tying a cloth or blanket around one’s possessions for quick transportation. This technique, reminiscent of impulsive packing by unsettled migrants seeking greener pastures, captures the uncertainty and fluidity inherent in states of displacement, refugee status, and homelessness. The fabrics used in this series are predominantly imported materials – both new and used clothing that have undergone the passage of time and crossing territories. Through stitching and sewing techniques, these fabrics encapsulate individual potential, values, fears, and strengths. Ultimately, my hope is that this work resonates with audiences as it speaks to fundamental aspects of human existence within societal frameworks.
Bubble Inspired
The prevalent utilization of fabric bubbles in my artistic creations is founded on my interpretation of these entities as receptacles that contain the seed which propagates our world. This notion derives its metaphorical essence from the definition of a bubble as an element or structure that possesses or retains something for a duration, be it ideas, secrets, values, traditions, life, expectations or beliefs. The form of bubbles is akin to an egg or ovary enclosing each unit of life; this strikes me as nature’s way of meticulously stitching together eggs and ovaries within the female reproductive system so that they may develop into life over time. Thusly, I view bubbles as indicative of a universal human condition encapsulating notions such as survival, struggle, safe space protection, love and value – all essential elements for coexisting lives.
I perceive the studio process involving stitching together African Wax Print fabric bubbles with stuffing and sewing to be symbolic actions representing strength, secrecy influence and power: factors capable of restructuring any social construct. My heartfelt desire is that those who engage with my works will find solace and sense their own existence through them.
Bursting Bubbles Inspired
The notion of disclosure, unconcealedness, and exposure has been part of my art practice as I explore the human condition and political life through techniques such as cutting, stitching, revealing, and installation. The act of bursting bubbles connotes surprise, revelation of unpleasant truths, enlightenment, astonished disclosure, shock and open secrets – all of which have influenced my approach to materiality. My choice to incorporate African print fabric serves as a metaphorical representation of erroneous beliefs stemming from the uncertain origins of this fabric in Africa. This concept has furnished the idea for bursting bubbles.
I invite you to delve into endless possibilities for self-interrogation by challenging long-held beliefs in order to gain new-found revelations.
Fabric Strap Inspired
Through the process of cutting, folding and sewing of straps of fabrics into ring like forms to depict the lines made by bursting bubbles, I am interested in the idea of traces, past events, pathways, and history that has lead to a cause as a connecting points to the present effect. The Africa print fabric as a material present itself as a rich metaphor to this discourse, following several underlining origin of the fabric to African continent and it transatlantic connection in terms of it production and imported.
In this body of work, I hope it constantly remind us of the cause and effect of every decision and that connections that links human condition.
Second-hand Cloth Inspired
My recent fascination with second-hand (used) and cast-off fabrics is commonly referred to as Okirika in Nigeria. Through studio activities such as stitching, sewing, tying, crossing and installation, I sought to investigate the social, political and economic effects of second-hand (used) clothing in Africa.
These works represent a slight stylistic departure from Nnorom’s signature bubbles. The application of clothes that are both painterly and dynamic is interrupted by linear gestures that create a tense dialogue between release and constraint; this suggests how tightly people are bound to these imported second-hand clothes and fashion – almost like a form of restraint. The movement in my work echoes the chaotic congestion where these clothes are sold at markets.
More often than not, the uncomfortable duality of second-hand clothes lies in their public perception as aspirational due to their proximity to Western culture and designer labels; however, their popularity exacerbates an already devastating environmental impact while simultaneously discouraging the use of locally produced fabrics. Issues such as consumerism, neo-colonialism, ecological waste and industrialization – along with their relationship to human conditions – remain central themes within my visual discourse.
Performance Photography
As a visual artist, I delve into other genres of art practices to facilitate the conveyance of ideas through alternative mediums, thus bringing creativity to life. Within this body of work, my focus lies in exploring the psychological state of VISA applicants. Drawing from personal experiences such as prolonged waiting periods for visa decisions and the mental exhaustion that ensues, coupled with the various psychological effects stemming from both acceptance and denial, I aim to pose thought-provoking queries: Why is it mandatory for us to obtain visas? Is it truly necessary? How can goods move freely when their creator is restricted? When will humans be able to travel without requiring visas? Why are individuals citizens of specific locations rather than being recognized as citizens of Earth itself? Where is home? With these inquiries in mind, I encourage you to engage with my work and ponder upon them yourselves.
