Mobile Art Gallery
Bundlehouse: Ancient Future Memory
by Nyugen E. Smith
Bundlehouse Lukasa Study Three by Nyugen E. Smith, photo courtesy of the artist
Exhibition by Capital Artist Resident Nyugen E. Smith
Attendance Details
Dates: January 12 - March 26th, 2023
Open until March 31st by appointment only
Opening celebration: Thursday, January 12 at 5:30 PM
Gallery Hours: Following the opening, Wednesday - Sunday, 12-5
Location: Capitol Riverfront Neighborhood, The Yards, M+1st St SE
Free and open to the public
In Bundlehouse: Ancient Future Memory, Luba objects like the Lukasa (memory board) and ceremonial axes and stools find context in Smith’s ongoing Bundlehouse series, which uses found-object to represent layered identities of Black African diasporic descendants. By making new wholes out of incongruous objects of disparate origin—while formally alluding to the salvaged-material chicken coops and vernacular architecture Smith grew up seeing across 1980s-Trinidad—Bundlehouse (and this new installment thereof) addresses themes including memory, architecture, climate change, and the notion of rebuilding after trauma.
Bundlehouse: Ancient Future Memory builds on Nyugen E. Smith’s ongoing Bundlehouse series, which reflects on forced migration or rehousing, whether physical or spiritual, of the African diaspora. Through collage and assemblage, Ancient Future Memory references the items and memories collected through this transition. He assigns value to everyday objects, creating spiritual totems and invented maps to reveal universal truths of transition and trauma. Smith has created these works through meditative, repetitive acts: cutting, sewing, hammering, and collaging. This body of work expands on the ideas of Bundlehouse and influences from his time in Washington, DC.
From the artist:
“This exhibition title is inspired by the album, Ancient Future by Jamaican reggae artist, Protoje. He pays tribute to and honors reggae artists of the past while infusing it with his own style which has been informed by Rap music from the US as a way to contribute to the evolution of the reggae genre through his contribution.
In general, ritual objects, artifacts and spiritual traditions in the African diaspora inform my creative practice. There are instances where specific objects or concepts directly inform aspects of my work. This is the case with the recent body of work created during my Capital Artist Residency in Washington DC.
Figurative objects made of wood and Lukasas (Memory Boards) from the Luba people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are examples of historical objects that have directly informed the works I’ve created for this exhibition. Lukasas are sacred objects that serve as archives of genealogy, royal lineage, they are physical maps of locations, and records of historical events, and more. Colored beads, glass, carvings, stones, and other materials are embedded in stylized wood planks to create each commemorative piece. I am fascinated by the beauty and purpose of Lukasas and have drawn inspiration from their visual and material qualities to produce my new work.
Similar to Protoje, I am looking at these objects from the past to find new ways to think about their purpose, power, historical relevance in contemporary society, and what they can tell us about the future. My new work on view here collectively represents the beginning of an exciting direction and thematic development in my practice.”
Nyugen E. Smith is a Caribbean-American interdisciplinary artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Through performance, found object sculpture, mixed media drawing, painting, video, photo, and writing, Smith deepens his knowledge of the historical and present-day conditions of Black African descendants in the diaspora. Trauma, spiritual practices, language, violence, memory, architecture, landscape, and climate change are primary concerns in his practice.
