Wangechi Mutu: A Promise to Communicate

As Wangechi Mutu (b. 1972, Nairobi, Kenya) states, “Through technology, travel, trade, environmental and civil trauma (all of which are inherently related), we see how connections that were not previously possible now happen with such ease.” Mutu’s work A promise to communicate, commissioned by the ICA for the Sandra and Gerald Fineberg Art Wall, addresses the idea of the world as a shared space where more and more, we find ourselves unable to grasp this concept of collectivity and communicate in a way that is understanding to all. For the installation, the artist will interpret the world continents sculpturally using rough, grey rescue blankets. The work will also include drawing and writing materials that viewers can interact with and use to mark the surface of the wall as a way to work through and communicate “our shared fate and destiny.”

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.