Watch now: Otobong Nkanga performs Solid Maneuvers at opening of 'Matter as Actor' in London

5 June 2023

Within the group exhibition 'Matter as Actor' at Lisson Gallery in London (until 24 June), Otobong Nkanga’s presentation centres around the installation Solid Maneuvers (2015). The work is a manifestation of her encounters with an area devastated by mining in Namibia known as ‘Green Hill’, which, since 1875, has seen its mineral-rich soil hollowed out, leaving a scar in the landscape.

Solid Maneuvers, a poeticized translation of Green Hill’s inverted, excavated topography – containing vermiculite, salt, make up, heavy mineral sands and shredded copper – serves as a poignant reminder of the ecological implications of capitalist accumulation. Integrating performance into the work, Nkanga considers how the machinery used for mining these landscapes are informed by the physical gestures of the human body.

Nkanga activated the work with a performance element at the opening of the exhibition on 2 May 2023.