Underskog

Through a recurrent use of anthropomorphized animals and plants, Chioma Ebinama’s practice reflects an interest in a future (and present) where humanity relinquishes its central position in the tapestry of life, embracing precolonial philosophies and their entanglement with concepts of animism and mythology which allows for, what the artist refers to as a ’creation of a freeway removed from the white gaze.’

Chioma Ebinama (b. 1988) is a Nigerian American artist living and working in Athens, working with a practice centered around works on paper, and often incorporating sound, textiles, sculpture, artist books and wearable art in her installations. Ebinama draws inspiration from the aesthetic of formalized religion and incorporates a tapestry of influences spanning global folk art, West African cosmology and Eastern spiritual traditions. Her practice is also firmly rooted in an engagement with postmodern social theory, with the work of Bell Hooks, Sylvia Wynter, Sylvia Frederici, and Antonio Negri & Michael Hardt being integral influences in shaping this world view.

Recent solo exhibitions include The Eyes of the Beloved are Everywhere, at Maureen Paley: Morena di Luna, Hove, UK (2023); The Eleventh House, at The Breeder, Athens, Greece (2023); tipota, at Fortnight Institute, New York, USA (2022); A Spiral Shell, at Maureen Paley, London (2022); mud & butterflies, at Galeria Catinca Tabacaru, Bucharest, Romania (2022); and Lay All Your Love On Me, at Salon 94, New York, USA (2022). Group exhibitions include Body Full Of Stars, at Ceysson & Bénétière New York, NY, USA (2023); Cosmos, l’amante del vulcano, at Fondazione BTS Como Arte, Como, Italy (2023); Hollow Earth: Art, Caves & The Subterranean Imaginary, at Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham, UK; travelling to The Glucksman, Cork, Ireland and RAMM, Exeter, UK (2022); and The Serpent’s Eye, at Musée d’art contemporain de la Haute-Vienne, Rochechouart, France.