Name: Elephant in the Room, Fillipus Sheehama, Mixed media: makalani nut piths, metal
Brand: Fillipus Sheehama
Rating: 5 (3 reviews)

Elephant in the Room, Fillipus Sheehama, Mixed media: makalani nut piths, metal

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About the Item

Elephant in the Room, 2020. Mixed Media: Makalani nut piths and wire Fillipus Sheehama's latest large-scale sculptural textiles have grown out of an exploration of recycled materials and their link to overconsumption. The materials are sourced from under-maintained and largely impoverished areas of Namibia. His artistic process has evolved to incorporate organic waste materials. Indigenous makalani fruits are often used as a food source and to brew alcohol. In these works the discarded makalani piths are cut in half and hand-stitched together alongside flattened metal bottle caps and shards of animal bone. The use of these discarded materials also points to the agricultural processes that sustain subsistence farmers. Sheehama highlights issues of land (re)distribution as years of Apartheid and colonialism carved up and cut off access to much of the arable land in Namibia, leaving the majority of the population scrambling for resources. The patchwork of different materials and textures speaks to the segregation of land and people, and the need to use our natural resources and knowledge to unify for a more just and fair society. Each artwork is both a reflection of society as well as a critique of contemporary living. He is preoccupied with ideas of wholeness, thinking about the relationship between individual and collective identity. The materials he chooses to use en masse- discarded bottle tops, plastics, old school desks- are quotidian and suggest a large group of people or a community. Despite these large communities, life remains precarious in Namibia. From his vantage point as an educator living and working in Katutura, Sheehama is constantly confronted with the fragility produced by radical economic inequality. This is reflected most intensely in the materials he chooses to work with. Sheehama draws formally from traditional Nama and Herero patchwork patterning that derives from the colonial era. Sheehama graduated from the University of Namibia with a Bachelor of Art (Fine Art) Honours degree in 2010 and has taught Visual Arts at the John Muafangejo Arts Centre and currently lectures at the College of the Arts. Sheehama has participated in many group exhibitions locally and internationally. The artist has also had several solo exhibitions in Namibia.

Creator:
Fillipus Sheehama (1974)
Creation Year:
2020
Dimensions:
Height: 84.26 in (214 cm)Width: 66.15 in (168 cm)Depth: 1.19 in (3 cm)
Medium:
Wire,Organic Material,Mixed Media
Movement & Style:
Abstract
Period:
2010-
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Windhoek, NA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU150628692362