'WITH EVERY FIBRE OF (MY) BEING' SOLO EXHIBITION AT RAW MATERIAL COMPANY, DAKAR

DE TOUTES LES FIBRES DE (MON) ÊTRE

RAW MATERIAL COMPANY

May 19 – June 28, 2024

Dakar , Senegal

As part of the 15th edition of Dak'art, the Dakar Biennale of Contemporary African Art, RAW Material Company presents the work of Zohra Opoku. The theme of this edition, inspired by Professor Christina Sharpe's book "In the Wake: On Blackness and Black Being", is directly related to Zohra's work, in its examination of "the black condition and its literary, visual and artistic representations".

Unravelled threads is a collection of family photographs showing her father as an Asante King, Nana Opoku Gyabaah II, Chidomhene of Asato/Akan in the Volta Region of Ghana, screenprinted on cotton and canvas and interwoven with images of herself, her mother, and pieces of Kente cloth.  It is a manifestation of her history in material form.  For the artist, the prints resurrect a father she never knew.  For historical others, they serve as evidence: we were once queens and kings.

“For me, it became a remarkable story to unpack, and one which influenced my whole being and my decision later to become an artist and to assimilate belonging and identity into my artistic practice.” - Zohra Opoku.

“This work is dedicated to children who grew up as others, having different origins or nationalities, but hopefully many perspectives and chances to succeed in a moving world, which still lacking in humanity.” - Zohra Opoku.

For the installation, there would be wooden sculptures with indigo dye and tye dye included to tell the story of how trees are used for household and commercial purposes and recreate a memorable experience.