Nearly 30 square feet in scale,\u00a0Kumbi Saleh 3020 CE<\/i>\u00a0is Nimako’s reimagining of the capital of the medieval Kingdom of Ghana to forge a utopian vision of sub-Saharan Africa 1,000 years in the future. With astounding detail, he uses the medium of LEGO\u00ae\u00a0to explore Afrofuturism, the cultural movement that envisions Black, African, and Afrodiasporic people and narratives through a science-fiction lens. The artwork draws on elements from the past to give scope to the future, while providing an expansive foundation of hope for the next millennia and beyond.<\/p>\r\n
Nimako in his artist statement explains,\u00a0“In both concept and aesthetic, the piece represents an uninterrupted, unco-opted narrative of Black civilizations that seeks to reclaim histories, reconcile ancestral traumas, and imagine liberated futures for all African peoples.”\u00a0In essence it is a reimagination of a Blackness that is not constructed against the backdrop of enslavement, colonization, and violence.\u00a0\u00a0As for the use of LEGO pieces, the artist shared that it\u00a0“further evokes a futuristic aesthetic to capture architectural forms and elements from the natural world, transcending the medium’s geometric form.”<\/p>\r\n
According to Aga Khan Museum Curator Michael Chagnon, Kumbi Saleh 3020 CE advances the Museum’s mission to\u00a0“bridge culture through the arts and foreground cultural narratives that often remain unheard.”\u00a0\u00a0For HMAAC,\u00a0“This sculpture allows the museum to continue its participation in global conversations that are occurring throughout the African Diaspora,”\u00a0said HMAAC CEO John Guess, Jr.<\/p>\r\n
Related programming for the exhibition begins with a February 12 talk by Johns Hopkins University Center for Africana Studies Director Minkah Makalani, with an additional lecture by Johns Hopkins Professor Nathan Connolly and a conversation between Curator Michael Chagnon and University of Houston Professor Dina Al-Sowayel, Other programming will include workshops for young, middle and high school students by artist Nimako.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
Kumbi Saleh 3020 CE<\/i>\u00a0is generously sponsored by the Houston Endowment, HEB, the Aga Khan Foundation, LEGO, the Houston Freedman’s Town Conservancy and the Board of Directors of the Houston Museum of African American Culture.”<\/p>\r\n
ABOUT EKOW NIMAKO<\/b><\/p>\r\n
Ekow Nimako is a Toronto-based, internationally exhibiting LEGO\u00ae\u00a0artist who crafts futuristic and whimsical sculptures from the iconic medium. Rooted in his childhood hobby and intrinsic creativity, Nimako‘<\/span>s formal arts education and background as a lifelong multidisciplinary artist inform his process and signature aesthetic. His fluid building style, coupled with the Afrofuturistic themes of his work, beautifully transcend the geometric material to embody organic and fantastical silhouettes. Nimako has exhibited works in Canada, Germany, Korea, and the United Kingdom.<\/p>\r\n ABOUT THE AGA KHAN MUSEUM<\/b><\/p>\r\n The Aga Khan Museum in Toronto Canada, has been established and developed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). The Museum’s mission\u00a0\u00a0is to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the contributions that Muslim civilizations have made to world heritage while often reflecting, through both its permanent and temporary exhibitions, how cultures connect with one another. Designed by architect Fumihiko Maki, the Museum shares a 6.8 hectare site with Toronto’s Ismaili Centre, which was designed by architect Charles Correa. The surrounding landscaped park was designed by landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic.<\/p>\r\n ABOUT THE HOUSTON MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE<\/b><\/b><\/p>\r\n The mission of HMAAC is to collect, conserve, explore, interpret, and exhibit the material and intellectual culture of Africans and African Americans in Houston, the state of Texas, the southwest and the African Diaspora for current and future generations. In fulfilling its mission, HMAAC seeks to invite and engage visitors of every race and background and to inspire children of all ages through discovery-driven learning. HMAAC is to be a museum for all people. While our focus is the African American experience, our story informs and includes not only people of color, but people of all colors. As a result, the stories and exhibitions that HMAAC will bring to Texas are about the indisputable fact that while our experience is a unique one, it has been impacted by and has impacted numerous races, genders and ethnicities. The museum continues to be a space where a multicultural conversation on race geared toward a common future takes place.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n Browse and shop for fine art from our growing network of artists, collectors, estates, galleries \u2014 specializing in works by Black American artists with great values on premier art.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Sign up for our\u00a0free\u00a0email course<\/strong><\/u><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>on how to begin your collection.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Would you buy stock in BAIA if you could?<\/strong> Well we invite you to join us in becoming a monthly supporter, starting at just $3 a month YOU become a stakeholder and begin to help us transform lives through art. We are growing the BAIA team and will use your contributions to hire more team members for the purpose of creating more educational and marketing resources for schools and universities about african american artists both past and present. 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