MITOCHONDRIA GALLERY

Presenting : Samuel Nnorom.
Opening : Saturday, April 15. 2023. 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Public viewing: April 15th to April 30th, 2023.
Address: 2220 Commerce Street #D, Houston, TX 77002
Mitochondria Gallery is pleased to present a body of work by Nigerian Scluptor, Samuel Nnorom. This exhibition continues his discourse on the “politics of fabrics.” Samuel’s fabric sculptures are an interrogation on the global impact of migration and consumerism.
EXHIBITED WORKS






Curatorial Essay
This exhibition is a continuation of Samuels discourse on the “politics of fabrics.” Samuel’s fabric sculptures
are an interrogation on the global impact of migration and consumerism. Samuel
is the 2022 recipient of the Art for Change Global Prize by Saatchi, London.
The genesis for this body of work
began in January 2023, during Samuel’s residency at the GAS foundation, Lagos.
He was inspired to capture the interaction between Used clothing imported to
Nigeria by non-profit and for profit organizations, and its socioeconomic
effect on the recipient communities.
Samuel attempts to draw his viewers into the life of the local Courtier whose livelihood is destabilized by the influx of lower priced Used clothing, and the local consumer who deems Used clothing as social prestige based on brand aspiration. Furthermore, Samuel wants to interrogate the environmental impact of Used Clothes in their new community as some of these clothes are at the end of usability, and closer to becoming waste.
For Samuel the use of fabric as a
medium for sculpture is personal. He was raised in a home of a professional
Couturier and Cobler, where he observed and assisted his parents in the process
of custom dress and shoe making.
These elements were translated into Samuel’s artistic education at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he attained a Bachelors and Masters in Sculpture. The Nsukka sculpture program is renowned for the use of conglomerating smaller objects into a more complex structure, as seen in the works of Alumni’s such as Ozioma Onuzulike.
Samuel applies this philosophy in
the developing this body of work. He scoured the markets in Lagos and Nsukka to
compile a plethora of Used clothing from T-shirts, Pants, Dresses, and other
forms of garments. He consolidates the individual pieces of clothing using
threads and stretcher bars to create a linear form that mimics the structure of
a painting. Samuel implements deconstructed pieces of clothing to create
overlapping diagonal patterns across the breadth of the sculpture, which is
symbolic for the migratory path of the Used clothing and the restraint it
places on the local community.
About Samuel Nnorom

Born in Nigeria in 1990, Samuel Nnorom is a multi-award-winning artist whose work poetically crosses tapestry-like sculpture and pre-loved Ankara wax fabric. Since childhood, elements that now shape his contemporary practice have surrounded him: colorful scraps from his mother’s tailoring workshop crystallized his artistic vocation. Self-proclaimed “custodian of material culture”, Nnorom uniquely draws upon materiality, dedicating his art to textile recycling and a sociological reflection on the human condition.
Currently living and working in Nsukka, Samuel Nnorom holds an MFA in sculpture from the University of Nigeria. His artistic development has been furthered though numerous workshops and residencies across England, Ghana, Mexico, Burkin-Faso, South Africa, and Nigeria. Notable residencies include the G.A.S. foundation, founded by Yinka Shonibare who is renowned for his exploration of wax fabric, a path in which Samuel also traverses.
Samuel has participated in numerous group exhibtions and art fairs between Nigeria, UK, Mexico, Ghana, Burkina-Faso and France. In December 2022, he was named the overall winner of the annual international art initiative Art for Change Global Prize by Saatchi, London. Samuel also won the Africa regional Art for change prize at Saatchi, London. Samuel is a three-time Life in My City Art Festival awardee, two-time National Gallery of Art Nigeria awardee, and was the first-prize recipient of the iCreate Africa prize in 2019.
Select Exhibitions
Solo Exhibitions
1. “Politics of Fabrics”, an Expository solo exhibition, The Guest Artist Space, Yinka Shonibare Foundation, Lagos. 2023
2. “Immigration and Integration”, The Art House, Wakefield United Kingdom. 2022.
Select Group Exhibitions.
1. International Royal Oversea League Art exhibition, London, UK. 2023
2. Tiwani Contemporary, viewing room show, London. 2023
3. 3.Kate-Ferri Project, Dark Matters, New York USA. 2023
4. Global Prize winner, Art for Change, Saatchi Gallery London UK. 2023
5. Shortlisted for Cultural & Artistic Responses To Environmental Change mentorship grant, Prince Claus Fund. 2022
6. Recycle Matter, Alexis Gallery Lagos Nigeria. 2022
7. Matters of Essential, a Salon Show at Ko Artspace, Lagos Nigeria. 2022
8. Voices of Textile at Gallery Marion Chauvy, Paris France. 2022
9. Wielding Power, joint exhibition, Gallery At The Landmark, Lagos. 2021
10. Rele Art Foundation, Exhibition of Young Contemporary Artists, Ekiti State. 2021
11. One Environment Hybrid Art Exhibition, Ceddi plaza Abuja, Nigeria. 2019
12. Life in My City Art Festival, 2018. Top 100, Enugu, Nigeria. 2018
13. Life in My City Art Festival, Enugu, Nigeria. 2017
Art Fairs.
1. MIA Fiar. Primo Marella Gallery. Milan. Italy. 2023.
2. Collect Craft Fair. Galerie Revel. London, UK. 2023.
3. London Art Fair, Koop Project, Stand P15 Encounters Platform, London United Kingdom
4. Artx Lagos, Tiwani Contemporary, Booth 3, Nigeria. 2022.
5. AKAA Art Fair, Galerie Chauvy booth A8, Paris France. 2022.
Residencies.
1.Gas Artist Space (GAS) Yinka Shonibare Foundation Residency, Nigeria. 2023.
2. ROSL and Art House Residency, London. 2022.
3. Cassirer Welz Award and Residency, South Africa. 2022.
4.Rele Art Foundation, Young Contemporary Artists, Ekiti State. 2021.
Press
1. Financial Times. 2023
2. Contemporary &. 2023
3. The Times. United Kingdom. 2023.
4. Little Black Book. 2023
5. Museum of Non-Visible Art. 2023
Education
1. M.F.A.(Sculpture ), University in Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. 2018
2. B.A.Ed.(Sculpture major). University of Jos, Nigeria, Nigeria. 2015