Courtesy of the artist and Melrose Gallery. L. Series 1, Warrior Spirit/ Gathering Energy, 2020. Photo by Clint Strydom. R. Series 2, The Self/Spear, 2020. Photo by Clint Strydom.
These works were produced in South Africa. ‘Ase' is energy or lifeforce within Yoruba cosmology. 'Ase' exists in all living and nonliving things, human beings, animals, elements in nature and objects. As a performer and sculptor, Adejoke Tugbiyele uses her energy to blur the lines between masculinity and femininity, queer dominant space, and ultimately, transcend preconceived notions of identity. 'Egungun' is the mode of ancestral communication through performance. Not so much the notion that ‘the cat is both dead and alive’ but rather that the dead can be brought back to life...temporarily, to inform, guide and advice the living. The indigenous Yoruba concept of ‘Egungun’ can also be related to the Christian Resurrection of Christ. Ultimately, ‘Spirit’ and spirituality render ‘matter’ as both visible and invisible, mutable, and transformative. Matter is tangible and intangible within Yoruba philosophy. Ancestral communication is also key to Xhosa culture and witnessed among Sangoma practitioners. Iqhiya cloth often used by Sangomas form the arm and leg bands in the costume Eagle/Bull performed at Nirox Sculpture Park within the art installation ‘SunBoat’ by Egyptian artist Moataz Nasr. Adejoke Tugbiyele treats ‘SunBoat’ as a monumental divination tray as her body performs dynamic gestures within this structure.