“It is easy to follow, but it is uninteresting to do easy things. We find out about ourselves only when we take risks, when we challenge and question.”
— Magdalena Abakanowicz
October Gallery is proud to present Material Sensibilities, an exhibition that boldly explores the liminal boundaries of creative materiality. The exhibition will feature vital and thought-provoking works by Nnenna Okore, Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga, Susanne Kessler, LR Vandy, Jukhee Kwon, Sokari Douglas Camp, and Sylvie Franquet, alongside new pieces from Xanthe Somers, Theresa Weber, Gaia Ozwyn, and Khadija Jayi.
Material Sensibilities presents a rich tapestry of sculptures, ceramics, and paintings, where each artist explores the deep connection between their chosen materials and the evolving forms of expression that emerge. By questioning, manipulating, and interacting with their materials—through processes such as cutting, weaving, burning, pasting, ripping, welding, and embedding—each work invites the viewer to contemplate the delicate dance between human touch and material transformation.
Exploring the Artists and Their Practices
Nnenna Okore is renowned for her intricate exploration of transformation and impermanence, using labour-intensive techniques to manipulate natural and found materials. Her hanging wall sculpture, Hide, combines hand-rolled clay elements with burlap cloth, creating a tactile experience that is both dense and fragile, reflecting Okore’s belief in the ephemeral beauty of the natural world.
Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga transforms oxidised sheet metal and steel wire into striking wall sculptures, often adorned with unexpected objects like washers, fabric, and beads. Encino, one of her standout pieces, weaves steel wire with acorns to reinterpret sculptural form and evoke nature’s quiet power, offering multiple layers of meaning and visual complexity.
In Susanne Kessler’s work, the cyclical nature of growth and collapse informs her dynamic installations. Aggregations, a triptych inspired by the aftermath of 9/11, references the iron framework of the One World Trade Centre as it rose from the ruins of Ground Zero. Kessler’s exploration of line—whether abstract or representational—reflects her belief in the symbolic power of the drawn line, making it a central element in her art.
LR Vandy’s exploration of rope and found objects brings forth sculptures that unpack the histories of trade, power, and gender. Her latest series of dancing rope sculptures vibrantly animates the female form through materials such as Manila rope and cotton thread, intertwining symbols of strength and history within the African diaspora.
Theresa Weber presents Archipelago Network, a work from her cartographies series that blends organic shapes like coral reefs, rhizomes, and the double helix. With materials such as silicone, resin, beads, and shells, Weber creates a tactile map of the intersectional body, challenging linear Western concepts of time and identity and embracing organic, de-colonial forms.
Xanthe Somers, a Zimbabwean ceramicist, uses traditional techniques such as hand-coiling and wax fabric dyeing to create works that address the colonial legacies of extraction economies. Her pieces, punctured and intricately adorned, critique the exploitation of women’s labour, overconsumption, and eco-racism, while playfully incorporating political commentary within the decorative.
The paintings of Gaia Ozwyn blend sculptural elements with fluid painterly gestures to examine the dualities of nature, belonging, and separation. Raised between Afro-Caribbean and British cultural traditions, Ozwyn’s work explores the tension between inclusion and isolation, inviting the viewer into a space where personal narrative and universal truths intersect.
Khadija Jayi uses fire as a powerful tool of creation and destruction in her sculptures. VOLCAN—created by burning paper—leaves indelible marks that reflect the feminine experience of exclusion from public spaces. Jayi’s use of photographs of unknown women, scorched and transformed, offers a poignant commentary on the erasure of feminine voices in society.
Jukhee Kwon, originally from South Korea and now working in Italy, transforms books into cascading sculptures that explore the cyclical themes of creation and destruction. Her delicate paper tendrils invite the viewer into a dialogue about absence, presence, and the fragility of existence, challenging the boundaries between the material and the ephemeral.
Sokari Douglas Camp‘s exuberant steel sculptures, vibrant with colours and forms drawn from her Nigerian heritage, celebrate the flora, fruits, and people of Suriname. Her dynamic and playful works speak to both cultural identity and global issues, embodying a whimsical yet deeply symbolic language.
In Sylvie Franquet’s intricate reworkings of found tapestries, she subverts historical narratives and male-dominated art traditions. Her re-stitching of graffiti and text onto needlepoint patterns challenges the viewer to rethink cultural icons, often drawing on her extensive travels in the Middle East and North Africa to inform her practice.
Gallery Talk: Exploring Material Sensibilities
On Saturday, 1st February 2025, from 3:00 – 4:30pm, Xanthe Somers and Gaia Ozwyn will join curator Eleri Fanshawe for an insightful conversation about the relationship between their chosen materials and the bold works featured in the exhibition. The talk will explore their creative influences, artistic practices, and the unique perspectives that shape their work.
Admission is free, and the event will be held on the gallery’s ground floor, which is fully accessible.
Exhibition Details
- Exhibition Dates: 30th January – 1st March, 2025
- Private View: Wednesday, 29th January 2025, 6:00 – 8:30pm
- Venue: October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AL
- Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 12:30 – 5:30pm
- Admission: Free
- Website: www.octobergallery.co.uk