The practice of Nigerian visual artist Temitayo Ogunbiyi moves between drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation. Often producing works that are in reaction to global and current events, she places her artistic practice in dialogue with anthropological histories and botanical cultures closely intertwined with a colonial legacy. Her works on paper have expanded in form and scale as her practice has evolved, materializing into sculptural propositions. Shaped most regularly like routes or maps, they reflect the artist’s interest in the historical conditions that have determined the movements of people and materials across geographies. For her first public installation in Naples, Italy, Ogunbiyi created You will play in the everyday, running (2020), a playground structure that makes a plea for unregulated movement amidst a politic to police and thereby provides a free space for children to play and interact with her work without set restrictions. Drawing upon this and thinking about the notion of freedom for all beings, she has designed a resting area within the O Quilombismo exhibition which invites visitors to sit, rest, and connect with the outdoor environment. Ogunbiyi’s installation You will forge paths beyond your grandmother’s imaginings stands as a gift to the guests of HKW and opens up the space by creating a connection between the inside and out.

Commissioned by Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), co-produced by Temitayo Ogunbiyi and HKW, 2023.

Work in the exhibition: You will forge paths beyond your grandmother’s imaginings (2023), seating area, Manila rope, stainless steel, concrete, dimensions vary. Courtesy of the artist