Midnight Study I, 2021
Woven textile on aluminium frame (yarns: trevira, multifilament, outdoor polypropylene, elirex, mohair, monofilament, fulgaren, viscose)
85 x 160 x 4 cm
33 1/2 x 63 x 1 5/8 in
Otobong Nkanga's Midnight Study I forms part of the lexicon of Nkanga's monumental tapestry, Unearthed – Midnight, one of a 4-part series of works produced in 2021 and debuted in the artist's celebrated solo exhibition at Kunsthaus Bregenz. This work can be said to act as a storyboard for the larger tapestry whilst conjuring its own discrete visual and material world. It presents a microcosm of the themes, techniques and approaches explored in the larger tapestry channeled through its own intriguing prism, where the figurative elements are fragmented, reconfigured and staged anew.