Bright Ugochukwu Eke
Nigeria, born in 1976
Ripples and Storm 1
2011
Recycled bottles and wire.
The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, “Environment and Object: Recent African Art,” Skidmore College
Bright Ugochukwu Eke writes, “My inspiration as an Artist comes from everyday life. As I move about, I experience cultures, people and their attitudes to life in relation to the surrounding earth. I am concerned about the Human-Earth connection” (Eke 2019). Eke asks why plastic bottles are produced and why they are continuously found in the streets of Africa and globally. In an interview he says, “Ripples can also grow to become a storm,” drawing a connection between a storm and the problems that arise in life (Eke 2019). The mass number of plastic bottles envelops the viewer, forcing them to recognize the negative impact these bottles can potentially have on the environment, and their own life.
Julio Palencia ’20
Bibliography
Peek, Philip. “Environment and Object: Recent African Art.” African Arts (Spring 2012): 83-85. http://bsc.chadwyck.com/search/proxyProquestPDF.do?PQID=2595809251&GOID=N&collectionsTag=&format=&fromPage=
Curated by Lisa Aronson of Skidmore College’s Department of Art History and John Weber, Dayton Director of the Tang Museum, “Environment and Object: Recent African Art” exhibits the artwork of Bright Ugochukwu Eke, El Anatsui, Chéri Samba, Lara Baladi, Romuald Hazoumé, Jerry Buhari, Zwelethu Mthethwa, Sammy Baloji, Georgia Papageorge, Sokari Douglas Camp, Yinka Shonibare, and George Osodi. The artists in this exhibition shed light on the environmental issues in Africa, highlighting their concern and activism for change.
Aronson, Lisa, et al. Environment and Object: Recent African Art. Prestel Publishing, 2012.
Environment and Object: Recent African Art speaks about the role African artists have in showing the impact of the environment on African life, and the continent.
“Bright Ugochukwu Eke on ‘Ripples and Storm,’” Vimeo, 02:35, an interview on March 2, 2011, posted by “The Tang Museum,” April 24, 2019, https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ripples+and+storm+bright+ugochukwu&view=detail&mid=E1107BA3C5D3CD3BF6B2E1107BA3C5D3CD3BF6B2&FORM=VIRE.
Bright Ugochukwu Eke speaks about his installation titled, Ripples and Storm 1 and 2, the process he went through to create it, and his intention/message behind the installation.
