IGBERIKO - Curbside Exhibition

An Exihibition of New works in mixed media Sculpture Installation that look into the year 2020.

It is a new day. As the sun rises and the rooster sings from top of its lungs, I know it is morning. I have not slept. I worked through the night in my studio, listening to world news on NPR. At first, I did not take note or hear the importance. When things are not at your doorstep, you do not take concrete actions.
Then sun is out full now, and NPR continues to repeat the same story from time to time about the spreading of virus coming from China. Now it has been discovered in Europe, but still the USA does not take it as seriously. Government officials refuse to listen to the warnings of health professionals on how quickly action needs to be taken.
Our world is turned upside down. This invisible war where we cannot see the weapon is here, under our nose, beyond what we can imagine. We have no idea how to prevent it, no cure. Every health official is giving chase, trying to solve the puzzle, while hundreds are dying every second.
We have no choice but to close the world’s doors. Hide behind masks. Creates new rules of staying home, social distancing, singing “happy birthday” every time we wash our hands. It is difficult for children to understand why suddenly the rules changed. No more school. No more going to play with their friends.
The worst of it all is that, before the pandemic, people were already living hand to mouth, surviving by the grace of the credit card, and now the economy is crumbling. No one is going to work, but we all must eat. You are not allowed to go out and the grocery and shopping centers are closed. The numbers of sick people are increasing daily, and the hospitals are short on beds. Now the family cannot even console their loved ones. The dead are buried or disposed of without a proper traditional sendoff. It is a new world.
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For years as an activist, a crusader of Equality, I have been calling for us to respect for one another, love others as we love ourselves.
All the works in this exhibition are the recap of what 2020 looked like in my mind as I sat in the corner of my studio, listening to news around the world, reflecting on myself, my present, my past, putting my affairs in order and writing my biography. Who knows, I may not live to see tomorrow.
We may not be happy about how it went down and everything that we all went through and what went through us, but 2020 is the year that brought us all to the same level. The whole world was brought to stillness in a matter of seconds. Our intelligence, wisdom, and knowledge were put to the test. It did not matter if you were the president, or homeless, a religious leader, a member of a particular political party or royal family, no one got a free pass. Your stature, your connections, your influence could not save you.
We have prepared for many years innovating varieties of weapons to fight any war that may come to us. But those are wars that we can see, and we can win. How can we prepare for an invisible war when we have no idea which direction it is coming from? We all have one choice – use the mask, stay home, social distance, be afraid.
Who is to be blame? who should we point our fingers at? 2020 will also go down as the year that opened our eyes to police brutality. The year that inspired protests across the world calling for a redefinition of what POLICE should be, how they should operate and relate to the community. 2020 will not go down without lot of unanswered questions. At the same time 2020 gave us time to spend with our families and a break from the busyness of the world.

The project and exhibition is supported in part by the cultural art division of the city od Austin Economic Development and Big medium.
Hope to see you.