Accessories (2005)
5
plain
2015-11-18T01:01:17-08:00
Description: Two Nigerian women in patterned garb and headdresses, facing each other. Each woman carries a series of guns, two on the front and two on the back of each figure. Fashioned out of steel and wood, the only parts of the women's bodies that are actually rendered include their arms, feet, and heads, while the dresses take the place of and replace their bodies. Sokari's work speaks to the growing availability of weapons in the Delta region and violence as a result of its association with the oil industry. At first, the sculpture elicits an almost comical response from the viewer; why are these women dress so nicely with weapons? Are they friends? Enemies? Comrades? But the closer you look, the more serious the piece becomes, revealing its somber message about present-day Nigeria under the guise of traditional fashion.
Possible tags: Sokari Douglas Camp, Nigeria, metal, sculpture, warfare, oil industry, tradition
DeFabo, Julia. "Sokari Douglas Camp in ‘No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960-1990′ (10 July 2015 – 24 Jan 2016)." AADATART.org. AADATART, July 2015. Web.
