Arit Etukudo Residency
During July and August OTS hosted Arit Etukudo for a production bursary, in the run up to her first solo UK exhibition ‘The Christening’ at New Art Exchange
Whilst in residence Arit developed a series of resin casts with the assistance of studio holder & art technician. These formed the basis of a mixed media video installation which was ‘inspired by a moment where the artist nearly drowned in a swimming pool and experienced an extreme state of solitude which was confirmed as she reached the surface of the water, as her family did not notice her drowning. The work is a metaphor to existential questions, specifically from the experience of a queer black woman. Consequently, her work overemphasises her presence and stamp on this world through the overrepresentation of her body.’.
Arit Emmanuela Etukudo is a Nigerian-American experimental storyteller whose practice focuses on the ideas of identity and life experience. She recreates the human body in various sculptural forms to symbolize the complexity of identity and tell the stories of the ways in which the black woman’s body is allowed to exist. She has a background in filmmaking, theatre, creative writing, and photography which she combines to create image heavy installation pieces.
The Production Residency was awarded as part of New Art Exchange’s NAE Open 2019, and ran with the support of New Art Exchange.
