Marcellina Akpojotor was first introduced to visual art by her father, a sign maker. After years of working with him and completing her secondary education, she proceeded to the Lagos State Polytechnic and the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, for more training. Akpojotor has become known for her vibrant and layered collage artworks featuring Ankara fabric. Joy of More World, her first solo exhibition in London, the United Kingdom, is ongoing at Rele Gallery till May 18. We discussed the show and her exploration of femininity, cultural identity, and empowerment using Ankara fabric. Excerpts:
JOY of More Worlds is your first solo exhibition in London. What does this mean for you professionally and personally?
I’m excited and happy to share my work with a broader audience in London. Before now, I’ve only been featured in a group show in the city, but this is an excellent opportunity for people to see more of my work. It’s my third solo exhibition but the first in London.
How did you feel on the opening night?
As artists, we are usually secluded in our studio, and the opportunity to share our works with a broader audience comes. You’re sharing the story and getting feedback. I was thrilled to have people come around to support, and there was also a book signing [of a monograph co-published by Rele Gallery and Skira]. It was enjoyable.
Can you recall some of the comments people made to you at the opening?
Some people said they had seen some of the works on social media before but encountered them differently when they saw them live. There’s more context to the story when you see it live than when you view it on the screen.
The ongoing exhibition is your first solo show in the UK, but you have participated in prominent art fairs globally, including Art Basel Miami Beach (2021), FNB Art Joburg (2019), Art Dubai (2020), and the LA Art Show (2020). How have all these influenced your views and practice?
I was physically at Art Basel, and it was an opportunity to see the works of artists that I admire. I saw the works of established artists and then showed alongside them. Like I said earlier, it’s different when you encounter work on your phone or on-screen and then see it live. The scale of it all can envelope you. It was an excellent opportunity. I liked that I could see those works because when you do, it gives you confidence to do what you’re doing and see how you can improve it.
Have you ever felt you needed to do your work in certain ways to be accepted at some of these global gatherings?
I’ve never felt that way. We have distinct ideas, uniqueness and a purpose for being on earth. People should dig deep into themselves to discover their uniqueness. Seeing other people’s work tells me to dig deeper into myself for that unique story and technique. I do not feel pressure to work in a certain way because there are so many kinds of work that I am doing. I am very confident in what I do. I don’t have that pressure. I have done abstract work depending on how I want it. Everyone has their path and should follow it.
Your work features feminism, cultural identity and empowerment. Was this something you consciously decided on or happenstance?
It happened while trying to understand history, direction, and future. I remember my mum’s stories of her great-grandmother and her wishes for education. Her desire for education became a legacy passed down from one generation to the other. I remember going back to further my education after I had my first child, and I wanted to understand why I needed to.
All these stories came out, and I realized that my great-grandmother understood the importance of education, so I had to acquire more since I had the opportunity. That inspired the things that I pursue: the themes of empowerment, education, womanhood, and family history. It’s borne out of my personal experience.
It’s good that you mentioned going back to school. You initially trained at the Lagos State Polytechnic before attending the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). Why did you do that? Did you feel that the training you received at the polytechnic was inadequate?
I took a two-year program at the Lagos State Polytechnic and was awarded a National Diploma. After this, you go for industrial attachment and then can return for the Higher National Diploma or direct entry to a university.
I returned to Lagos Poly for my clearance. I met one of my lecturers, Dr Kehinde Adepegba, who advised that I take direct entry to OAU. So, it was a matter of acquiring more knowledge and experience.
Ankara is a cornerstone of all your work. Why is that so?
I entered a competition where we were required to use waste for artwork. I used fabric and electronic waste, among other things, to create a work that won the first prize. The jury found all the entries striking, so instead of awarding the prizes to three people, they gave them to six. So, we had two first-prize winners, two second-prize winners, and two third-prize winners.
I was among the first-prize winners. Before then, I was working with pastels. I make drawings of my siblings and their friends when they come around. On the side, I used fabric, like some of my mum’s old clothes, especially her scarf. I had just finished my ND programme and was bored at home, trying to motivate myself to work. I was doing pastel, and the idea came to switch to fabric from pastel. Instead of using the pastel for the portrait, I would use fabric.
At Lagos State Polytechnic, some of my older colleagues in their mixed-media classes used fabric and lace. For their assignments, they made portraits using mixed media. So, I was working with fabric for jewellery and bags. Then, I was doing pastels, but the idea came to complicate things a bit more. So, I switched to using fabric instead, and that was how it all began.
I started researching and learnt more about the Aso Ebi’s history and how it can show support, solidarity, and community. I remembered my mum and the women of those older generations. They don’t play with their wrappers. They treasure them. It’s their prized possession. So I read about its origins, how it was not initially designed for Africa but was introduced to this market, and then Africans embraced it.
When I initially started, I used my mum’s fabric. But then, when the off-the-beam thing came, I started going to the streets, to the tailors in my neighbourhood, to source the fabric. Then I fell in love with going into the community, Going to the communities to get the people’s fabric because the tailor’s shops also serve as meeting points for people.
So, who or what are your influences?
My dad is an artist; a sign writer. I grew up with him making banners, stickers, and signage on yellow buses, and I did all these with him. I was with him from primary to secondary school. I also started writing on certificates, like calligraphy.
Because I’m Catholic, we have a lot of iconographies in churches, pictures, and paintings of saints; all of these left an impression on me. I remember wanting to have the ability to paint the images I saw in churches at a point–the pictures of saints, their costumes and even sculptures. Those are what I saw growing up. I was also making gift cards for my friends in school, but I didn’t know I would be an artist. I thought, well, I love to do this thing. I thought it was something I could do during the weekends. But after my secondary school education, I just wanted to do art. That was when everything started.
Tell me about your creative process and some of the works that are showing in London.
I already mentioned sourcing the fabrics. That’s crucial. After that, in the studio, I start making sketches and transferring the sketches to the canvas, and then the collage begins. I’m cutting each piece, moving it to the canvas, and trying to create some complexity. I cross-stitch and then use the natural colours that come with the fabric. Then I mix my colours. I love that part of mixing colours. I painted in school, and I use acrylic because it dries fast. Sometimes, I use paper, charcoal, oil paint, and other materials.
I love to document moments. I love to take photos. Some of the images are based on pictures I’ve taken in the past. I’m looking through the photos and find a particular image that strikes me. Sometimes, I add it to an album, and it can develop into something of art. I’m not too concerned about the picture because it’s a reference that can be used at home. Sometimes, it might be a collage. I bring many things together that might not necessarily be in the original picture. I bring things together and take things out so that when you look at the picture, you might not even tell that that was here the reference picture.
One of the works I’m showing in London is ‘Weekend with Grandma’. You see a woman with two young children, carrying one and the other standing. They are on the balcony looking outwards. That’s my mother attending to my children. She’s wearing a white blouse and a blue wrapper. And the wrapper looks like a typical Ankara. But then, it’s made to commemorate the memories of my great-grandmother and her wishes for education. I was trying to show intergenerational care and how knowledge is transferred from one generation to the other. It also reminds me of my mum’s stories about her great-grandmother and how she cared for them, sharing knowledge, histories and stories with them. Those are the moments where ideas are passed down from one generation to the other, and it’s a delight showcasing all that.
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