Otobong Nkanga, winner of the Nasher Prize for Sculpture

The Nigerian-Belgian artist Otobong Nkanga is the winner of the Nasher Prize for Sculpture. The award comes with more than a $100,000 award and a major exhibition.

BY KAZEEM ADELEKE, ARTCENTRON

DALLAS, TX – The Nigerian-Belgian artist Otobong Nkanga is the winner of the Nasher Prize for Sculpture. The prize comes with more than a $100,000 award. As the winner, Nkanga joins the list of esteemed ranks of laureates at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas. She will embark on the development of public programming, a dedicated exhibition, and a published monograph in collaboration with curators.

Otobong Nkanga Gets International Accolade For Sculpture

The Nasher Prize, established as an international accolade for sculpture, seeks to honor living artists who significantly contribute to the understanding of sculpture and its diverse possibilities. Under the new biennial format, Nkanga, as the inaugural Nasher Prize Laureate, will enjoy an extended timeframe for showcasing her works, producing a printed monograph, and articulating their significance in the sculpture realm. The award ceremony is scheduled for April 5, 2025, in Dallas. It will feature Nkanga receiving the Renzo Piano-designed award, complemented by an exhibition and a published monograph.

Over the past two decades, Otobong Nkanga has created evocative works exploring the intricate relationships between humans, land, and resources. Her creations delve into issues such as consumption, global circulation, connectivity, and care. Nkanga is renowned for powerful installations and performances that engage the senses. She employs a diverse array of materials and practices to evoke emotions and offer new perspectives.

Reflect on Relationships with the planet, Art, and Each Other.

Director Jeremy Strick emphasizes how Nkanga’s work unveils the multitude of connections people share with materials in their lives, spanning historical, sociological, economic, cultural, and spiritual dimensions. He adds that Nkanga’s focus on land and its associated elements forms the foundation of her projects, where minerals, spices, nuts, metals, oils, plants, and stones become vehicles for exploring complex histories. By incorporating these materials into sculptural and performative works, Nkanga prompts viewers to reflect on their relationships with the planet, art, and each other.

Themes of movement, migration, and belonging recurrently thread through Nkanga’s work. Her international upbringing, from Lagos, Nigeria, to Paris, and eventually settling in Antwerp, Belgium, influences projects. Examples include Baggage (2007–08) and Carved to Flow (2017), highlighting local materials within a global context.

Expressing surprise and honor at the award, Nkanga sees the upcoming museum exhibition as an opportunity to reconnect with American audiences. This follows her last solo exhibition in the United States in 2018 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Notably featured in the 2022 Venice Biennale and Documenta 14, Nkanga has been a prominent figure in European museums, having received six major exhibitions in the past two years.

The Nasher Prize’s selection process involves over 160 nominees, with jurors narrowing down the list to 60 finalists before announcing the winner. This year, the Nasher Prize adopted a biannual schedule to afford laureates more time for exhibition and publication planning. Despite the financial implications, Director Jeremy Strick emphasizes the importance of the programmatic aspect that distinguishes the Nasher Prize.

Nkanga envisions her sculptures inspiring others to reconsider their relationship with the natural world. She hopes to catalyze a younger generation’s contemplation of repairing, connecting, and loving the planet.

About Otobong Nkanga

Born in 1974 in Kano, Nigeria, Otobong Nkanga currently resides in Antwerp, Belgium. She studied at institutions such as the Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria and the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. She obtained a master’s degree in Performing Arts at DasArts in Amsterdam. Nkanga’s international residencies include the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam, the DAAD Berlin program, and the Martin Gropius–Bau in Berlin.

Nkanga’s recent solo exhibitions span across international venues, including Valencia, Spain; Bruges, Belgium; Turin, Italy; and Nice. Others are France; Berlin, Germany; Cape Town, South Africa, and more. She has also participated in numerous international group shows, solidifying her position in the global art scene.

Otobong Nkanga’s art traverses diverse themes, from Claude Monet to urgent global crises, reflecting her deep engagement with societal and environmental issues. Her work has been featured in renowned exhibitions, biennials, and museums worldwide. Her accolades include the Special Mention Award at the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2019 and the 2017 Belgium Art Prize, among others.