A native of Kenya, Wangechi Mutu mixes her cultural heritage with Western sources that range from high fashion and pornography to the past and present history of violence on the African continent. Her intricate drawings made on translucent Mylar inscribe postmodern horrors onto African identity. The massive relocations of populations in Africa, its multilingualism, and the influence of the increasing globalizations of commerce and culture seem mirrored in Mutu’s complex, multilayered images. Recent work moves beyond the limits of drawing into three dimensions, found materials, and alterations of gallery space. These alterations may include gouging the walls or staining the floor with water and other materials. Rather than historicizing Africa and blackness as a race, Mutu envisions the existence of African elements in a future culture. In her talk, Mutu will delve into her artistic process.

Mutu received an MFA from Yale University in 2000. Her work has been exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Tate Modern, London; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and the International Center of Photography, New York; and is part of permanent collections at such institutions as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

Co-sponsored by Linda Durham Contemporary Art.