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Mikael Owunna
The Martyrdom of Eke-Nnechukwu, 2021
Dye sublimation print on aluminum, 24 x 36 inches
Edition 1/6, signed, verso
Cleated and ready to hang
Courtesy of the artist and ClampArt, New York City
Estimated value: $10,000
According to the Odachi Nne Ebere cosmogony of the Igbo people, the universe originated in the constellation of Sirius. Chukwu, the Igbo high god, and his feminine counterpart, Eke-Nnechukwu, existed in perfect unity in the primordial blackness of space until Chukwu sectioned off a part of space exclusively for himself. Overcome by excruciating curiosity, Eke-Nnechukwu entered the space and, as she does, an explosion rips through the fabric of the universe, martyring her in the process. After the explosion, Chukwu discovers her body and begins to weep. His tears pour into her, purifying and healing her, and Eke-Nnechukwu rises from the dead with the physical universe we experience today being born on her body.
About the Artist:
Mikael Owunna
Mikael Owunna is a queer Nigerian-Swedish American photographer and engineer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Exploring the intersections of visual media with engineering, optics, Blackness, and African cosmologies, his work seeks to elucidate an emancipatory vision of possibility that pushes Black people beyond all boundaries, restrictions, and frontiers.
Owunna’s work has been exhibited across Asia, Europe, and North America and been collected by institutions including the Nasher Museum of Art and Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Equal Justice Initiative, Montgomery, AL; and National Taiwan Museum. His work has also been featured in media ranging from The New York Times to CNN, NPR, VICE, and The Guardian. He has lectured at venues including Harvard Law School, World Press Photo (Netherlands), Tate Modern (UK), and TEDx. Owunna’s first published monograph, Limitless Africans, was released in 2019 by FotoEvidence, and he was awarded as a finalist for the FotoEvidence Book Award with World Press Photo.
Website: mikaelowunna.com | clampart.com
Facebook: /mikaelowunna
Instagram: @mikaelowunna | @clampartnyc
Twitter: @mikaelowunna | @clampartnyc
