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Totems to Haunt our Dreams (Thenjiwe Nkosi)

African Art Museum

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Object Details

Maker

Hervé Youmbi, b. 1973, Central African Republic (active Cameroon)

Description

Artist depicted is Thenjiwe Nkosi. Variable installation consisting of stacked columns of multi-colored, padded out plastic travel bags to which stickers have been adhered that depict icons of the international art world, including Damien Hirst’s diamond crusted skull and logos for museums like Tate Modern and MoMA. These can be installed in changing configurations in terms of height and number, and combined with up to twelve photographic portraits of African artists wearing sunglasses that bear logos for what they most desire in the art world (money, work on view at the Tate, etc). Photographs can be shown on their own or with columns. Components include 12 photographs on canvas and 10 sculptural columns, sized as follows: 1 column of 16 bags (8 bags’ height); 2 columns of 12 bags (6 bags’ height); 1 column of 10 bags (5 bags’ height), 3 columns of 8 bags (4 bags’ height), 1 column of 6 bags (3 bags’ height), and 2 columns of 4 bags (2 bags’ height). Columns are made of wooden base plate, cast-concrete ballast bricks, steel-pipe central support column, trader's plastic carry bags, adhesive acrylic stickers. 12 artists selected for NMAfA’s acquisition: Senzeni Marasela; Goddy Leye; Fode Camara; Ndary Lo; Androa Mindre; Joseph Gaylard; Emeka Okereke; Hervé Yamguen; Soly Cissé; Liyolo Puanga; Roger Botembe; Thenjiwe Nkosi.
Variable installation consisting of stacked columns of multi-colored, padded out plastic travel bags to which stickers have been adhered that depict icons of the international art world, including Damien Hirst’s diamond crusted skull and logos for museums like Tate Modern and MoMA. These can be installed in changing configurations in terms of height and number, and combined with up to twelve photographic portraits of African artists wearing sunglasses that bear logos for what they most desire in the art world (money, work on view at the Tate, etc). Photographs can be shown on their own or with columns. Components include 12 photographs on canvas and 10 sculptural columns, sized as follows: 1 column of 16 bags (8 bags’ height); 2 columns of 12 bags (6 bags’ height); 1 column of 10 bags (5 bags’ height), 3 columns of 8 bags (4 bags’ height), 1 column of 6 bags (3 bags’ height), and 2 columns of 4 bags (2 bags’ height). Columns are made of wooden base plate, cast-concrete ballast bricks, steel-pipe central support column, trader's plastic carry bags, adhesive acrylic stickers. 12 artists selected for NMAfA’s acquisition: Senzeni Marasela; Goddy Leye; Fode Camara; Ndary Lo; Androa Mindre; Joseph Gaylard; Emeka Okereke; Hervé Yamguen; Soly Cissé; Liyolo Puanga; Roger Botembe; Thenjiwe Nkosi.
Components include 12 photographs on canvas and 10 sculptural columns, sized as follows: 1 column of 16 bags (8 bags’ height); 2 columns of 12 bags (6 bags’ height); 1 column of 10 bags (5 bags’ height), 3 columns of 8 bags (4 bags’ height), 1 column of 6 bags (3 bags’ height), and 2 columns of 4 bags (2 bags’ height). Columns are made of wooden base plate, cast-concrete ballast bricks, steel-pipe central support column, trader's plastic carry bags, adhesive acrylic stickers. 12 artists selected for NMAfA’s acquisition: Senzeni Marasela; Goddy Leye; Fode Camara; Ndary Lo; Androa Mindre; Joseph Gaylard; Emeka Okereke; Hervé Yamguen; Soly Cissé; Liyolo Puanga; Roger Botembe; Thenjiwe Nkosi.
12 artists selected for NMAfA’s acquisition: Senzeni Marasela; Goddy Leye; Fode Camara; Ndary Lo; Androa Mindre; Joseph Gaylard; Emeka Okereke; Hervé Yamguen; Soly Cissé; Liyolo Puanga; Roger Botembe; Thenjiwe Nkosi.

Content Statement

As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.

Image Requests

High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/

Credit Line

Museum purchase

Date

2010

Object number

2012-3-26

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Photograph

Medium

Inkjet print on canvas

Dimensions

H x W: 131 × 85 cm (51 9/16 × 33 7/16 in.)

Geography

Central African Republic

See more items in

National Museum of African Art Collection

Data Source

National Museum of African Art

Metadata Usage

Not determined

Link to Original Record

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys78f7a4e19-f911-459e-baef-58e164f9ceac

Record ID

nmafa_2012-3-26

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