Meet the Maker: Uzomaka Obiocha
Following US-based art and design gallery Of The Cloth’s recent participation in the North American Pavilion at No. 9 Cork Street, we caught up with two of the artists involved. First up, UZOMAKA, a New York-based textile designer whose practice is steeped in historical references with modern application.
Could you tell us about what you are working on at the moment?
At the moment, I am working on exploring depth and expansion within my structural cotton rope tapestries and pieces. Currently, with every new cotton rope piece that I begin, I aim to surpass the scale and magnitude of its predecessor. For instance, my most recent piece stretched about 8 feet in length and 2.5 feet in width, and I am currently working on an expansive piece that will measure about 10 feet in length and 5 feet in width.
As the physical dimensions of my pieces expand, so do the use and narrative they convey. Each stitch weaves a more profound and expansive story. The larger canvas/space allows me to explore previously uncharted territories, unearthing new layers of pattern, depth, structure, and uses; transcending previous boundaries, and inviting the collective to engage with the piece with a deeper and wider perspective.
What do you enjoy about the materials(s) you work with?
Right now I am working with 3/16” cotton cord, cotton thread, indigo, coffee, and water. I love the simplicity and naturalness of my materials. When I engage with these materials, I always feel a profound sense of awe and gratitude. I enjoy embarking on the journey of alchemy (along with the guidance of my ANCESTORS), to transmute these humble fibers and botanical elements into something extraordinary. I enjoy that within the woven and dyed cotton fibers, a structural dance unfolds, forming patterns and textures that bring my creative ideations to life. Through this process, the materials themselves become storytellers, singing melodies of our actualized vision. In addition, I feel closer to my own humanity when I work with natural fibers and elements, such as these, as they were the same elements that my mother, and her mother, and her mother’s mother, and her mother’s mother’s mother, etc. worked with. And that they are also the same elements that my daughter, and her children, and her children’s children will also explore.
How do new ideas emerge for you and what is the process for developing them into finished pieces?
New ideas find their way to me through the gentle whispers of my ancestral muses and the imaginative inquiries of my beloved living muses. A significant aspect of my creative process involves invoking the wisdom and talents of my ANCESTORS (especially my ANCESTORS with artistic, innovative, and/or healing gifts). I invite them to guide my artistic abilities, allowing their essence to flow through me as I bring forth pieces and expressions that resonate with the spiritual, ancestral, and heart spaces of those who encounter my work.
In addition to my ancestral muses, my non-ancestral muses (i.e. my closest of friends) play a vital role. They pose questions that ignite my curiosity and fuel my desire to transform their visions into reality. Their queries such as “What would this look like 5 times wider? Or round? Or bigger? Or smaller?”, etc. act as catalysts to stimulate my imagination. Their compliments, critiques, and inquiries serve as nourishment, nurturing the growth and expansion of my creations.
Once the idea-seeds have been planted, I embark on the process of cultivating them to full bloom. Sometimes, I sketch out the concepts, mapping out the intricate details. Other times, I sit directly at my sewing machine, allowing the influence of the Masters of my bloodline, to co-create along with me. And together, through each loop, hoop, stitch, and space, we give birth to a tangible piece that reflects the manifestation of said ideas, inspirations, thoughts, visions, and feelings.
Where do you hope to take your practice in the future and why?
Currently, my creative practice is a practice of consistency, focus, hearing, listening, deep remembering, release, vulnerability, abundance, action, and freedom. I hope to take these practices to a place of mastery. And on the journey to mastery, I aspire to ignite a remembrance, awakening, and resonance of a beautiful, regal, melanin-rich ancient future, into the minds and hearts of those who encounter my work.
In addition, through my creative practice, I aim to continue to channel the wisdom, power, and beauty of ancestral traditions and merge them with contemporary expression. I also hope for my creative practice to be a conduit to remembering the rhythms, patterns, colors, shapes, and vibrations of our past, connecting that into our present, and allowing it to live on into our future. Ultimately, I hope that my creative practice contributes to a collective renaissance ( awakening and acceptance) of a world, story, and vibration, that serves our highest good, nourishes, empowers, and inspires the collective beyond our wildest dreams.
Which other current artist-makers’ work do you admire?
One artist whose work I greatly admire is Lina Iris Viktor. I love her use of metallics, shapes, patterns, and colors that evoke a sense of regalness. To me, each piece is like a glimpse into an otherworldly realm, a cosmic ancient future imbued with majesty and melanin magic. I also admire the prolific Harmonia Rosales. I love her revisioning of Renaissance art and how she incorporates the Ancestors, Orishas, and Melanin into her powerful pieces.
