The Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris is devoting Otobong Nkanga’s first major solo exhibition in the city, a journey spanning over twenty years of artistic practice. Born in Kano, Nigeria, in 1974 and now based in Antwerp, Nkanga is an artist whose work explores the complex relationships between the body, territory, memory, and natural resources. The exhibition, conceived in collaboration with the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne, offers a cross-section of her art: drawings, photographs, installations, textiles, and sculptures many of which are reactivated with new elements created on site. Recurring themes include environmental exploitation, mineral extraction, the circulation of raw materials, colonial violence, and the desire for repair. At the heart of Nkanga’s approach is the concept of stratification, physical, symbolic, historical. The Earth is imagined as a living body, intrinsically connected to humans through exchanges and mutual transformations. The artist weaves together diverse practices and materials, painting, poetry, performance, to construct an affective and political geography. On display are works from major international institutions such as the Centre Pompidou, Castello di Rivoli, Stedelijk Museum, Fondation Beyeler, and M HKA in Antwerp, alongside pieces from her studio and private collections. Among the highlights is From Where I Stand (2015), acquired by the Paris museum in 2022. A bilingual catalogue accompanies the exhibition, featuring critical essays and an in-depth interview with the artist. After Paris, the show will travel to Lausanne in 2026.
