Ngozi-Omeje Ezema – BOUNDLESS VASES Rotunda project Nr. 10

Die Neue Sammlung is proud to present an installation by Ngozi-Omeje Ezema (born 1979), the first of its kind in Germany. The Nigerian ceramic artist represents a new generation of African artists who are transposing an ancient traditional art form into the present and thus questioning long-standing notions that confine ceramics to the limited context of their utility.

Taking personal experiences as her starting point, in her works she refers to themes such as identity, family, ore the female body. She frequently draws inspiration from the shapes and materials of her natural surroundings as well as other found materials

With the help of transparent nylon string, hundreds of ceramic shards are combined to form rows in certain heights and positions and together the rows simulate vases of different shapes and sizes. For Ngozi-Omeje Ezema, the use of string represents life in balance, the fragments refer to the fragility of our lives.

When viewing her hanging objects with their metaphorical connotations and symbolic meanings, our experience and our understanding of what constitutes a vase and what function is has are radically undermined. In her installations, the artist, who trained at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka and teaches there, consciously toys with our perception.

With the kind support of Allianz and PIN. Freunde der Pinakothek der Moderne e. V.