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ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO, TORONTO
Wangechi Mutu: This You Call Civilization?
Edited by David Moos. Text by Jennifer Gonzalez, Odili Donald Odita, Raphael Rubinstein, et al.
The alluring and intricate collages of Kenyan-born, New York-based artist Wangechi Mutu (born 1972) draw the viewer into narratives of beauty, consumerism, colonialism, race, identity and gender politics. Oriented around imagery of the human body, Mutu's work aims at a visual deconstruction of traditional figuration, reconciling the experience of her Kenyan upbringing with present-day American realities. Published to accompany Mutu's first major survey at the Art Gallery of Ontario, This You Call Civilization? demonstrates the breadth of the artist's oeuvre to date, encompassing numerous works on paper produced since 2001, plus two large-scale installations and two video works. It also includes excerpts from favorite key source books selected by Mutu from her personal library, each of them formative in her quest to raise public awareness about racial and political issues through her art.
The alluring and intricate collages of Kenyan-born, New York-based artist Wangechi Mutu (born 1972) draw the viewer into narratives of beauty, consumerism, colonialism, race, identity and gender politics.
Featured image is Wangechi Mutu’s "You can't fly", from 2008, two watercolor and mixed media collages on paper. Mutu’s works on paper and videos are documented in Wangechi Mutu: This You Call Civilization?, published by the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
"I firmly believe in the connectedness of humankind across cultures and histories. We're absolutely interdependent. Our actions in one place create ripple effects far, far away. "This You Call Civilization? is first and foremost a question addressed to myself. It reveals some level of despair, awe, disbelief and, yes, lament at our present predicament, which is not all dismal, but incredibly volatile and what's considered to be 'civilized' is often coming from a singular perspective. The things we call 'cultural' or 'man-made advances' could very easily be obliterated by a variety of other types of developments and achievements, if only we chose to look at them through a different lens."
FORMAT: Hbk, 8 x 9 in. / 128 pgs / 62 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $29.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $35 ISBN: 9781894243643 PUBLISHER: Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto AVAILABLE: 5/31/2010 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Out of print AVAILABILITY: Not available TERRITORY: *not available
Published by Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. Edited by David Moos. Text by Jennifer Gonzalez, Odili Donald Odita, Raphael Rubinstein, et al.
The alluring and intricate collages of Kenyan-born, New York-based artist Wangechi Mutu (born 1972) draw the viewer into narratives of beauty, consumerism, colonialism, race, identity and gender politics. Oriented around imagery of the human body, Mutu's work aims at a visual deconstruction of traditional figuration, reconciling the experience of her Kenyan upbringing with present-day American realities. Published to accompany Mutu's first major survey at the Art Gallery of Ontario, This You Call Civilization? demonstrates the breadth of the artist's oeuvre to date, encompassing numerous works on paper produced since 2001, plus two large-scale installations and two video works. It also includes excerpts from favorite key source books selected by Mutu from her personal library, each of them formative in her quest to raise public awareness about racial and political issues through her art.
