From Jack Shainman Gallery:
Jack Shainman Gallery is pleased to present our first solo exhibition of works by Akinsanya Kambon. Located at our 524 West 24th Street space, the exhibition features Kambon’s raku-fired ceramic sculptures which will be making their New York City debut.
In addition to the rich stories that permeate the works, process plays a crucial and fundamental role in Kambon’s practice. The sculptures on view are fired in a kiln using an American raku technique. Heated to approximately 1800- 2000 degrees Fahrenheit the pieces are removed, red hot, with tongs and exposed to the air as they are transferred to a drum filled with combustibles such as hay, sawdust, newspaper, and eucalyptus leaves. Sealed with an airtight lid, the materials ignite. The lack of oxygen forces the detritus to smolder, and the smoke in this enclosed environment combines with molten glaze to bring about changes to the color that are evident once cooled.
Though the process is unpredictable, when successful the result is a beautiful, iridescent patina. For Kambon, this uncontrollable transformation is one of the many aspects of his practice that is guided by spiritual forces greater than himself. Above all, it is this formal process coupled with the nuanced stories and histories of the gods and goddesses that bring an even greater depth to each figure.
From learning, to processing, to sharing the knowledge he has encountered over the years, the sculptures Kambon creates are vessels through which he works through these motions. While Osanyin is a complex character in Kambon’s telling, he does reflect the knowledge that existed in African history that has been lost through time due to colonization. What’s more, the sculptures on view are the realization of Kambon’s own coming to terms with this collective loss of memory and history.
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