very excited to announce our next exhibition at @nicoletticontemporary, which will be a solo show by London-based, South African artist @maryhurrell, opening on Thursday 18 November, 5–9 pm, with an inaugural performance taking place from 6.30–8.30 pm. Comprising sculpture, collage, film and a live programme of performances, BUOY considers the body as a system of lenses, mirrors and edges. Throughout this new cycle of work, the body moves as a liquid perspective, stretching through emotional and physical densities, elasticities and compressions. Actions of layering, overlapping and de/re-constructing inform the installation as a whole, such as in a new series of collages, in which Hurrell cuts up and rearranges fragments of glossy magazines to create hybrid portraits that play with notions of femininity, identity and memory. Similar ideas are being explored in PERISCOPE, a performance for camera captured in the City of London during the third Lockdown in 2021. The film choreographs a text read by an automated voice, processed vocals and moving images shot with four cameras. Articulating a movement of language and a language of movement, PERISCOPE conflates antithetic registers of technology and flesh, intimacy and alienation, the surveyor and the surveyed. Accompanied by a programme of performances featuring live actions, costumes and sound improvisations, BUOY decompresses and rearranges its own elements through physical interventions that bring the exhibition into a celebratory present. Supported using public funding by Arts Council England @aceagrams — Live Performances dates and times: Thu 18 November: 6.30 – 8.30 pm Friday 19th November: 5 – 7 pm Saturday 20th November: 4 – 6 pm Friday 3rd December: 5–7 pm Saturday 4th December: 4 – 6 pm Saturday 11th December: 4 – 6 pm Friday 17th December: 5 – 7 pm Saturday 18th December: 4 – 6 pm #maryhurrell #nicoletticontemporary #buoy #contemporaryart #performance #liveevent #liveprogramme #sculpture #collage #film #sound #body #femininity #technology #transparency #machine

last week to cuddle @juliebena's 𝑜𝓊𝒾𝓃 𝑜𝓊𝒾𝓃 – here representing her daughter Gala, her husband Michail, and myself – during your visit to 'The Den', her first solo show at @nicoletticontemporary, closing this Saturday. Image 1: Ouin..., ouin (Gala), 2021 Velvet, knitted lace, cotton, polyester stuffing, soundbox 70 x 60 x 8 cm Image 2: Julie Béna Ouin..., ouin (Michail), 2021 Fake fur, cotton, polyester stuffing, soundbox 59 x 25 x 4 cm Image 3: Julie Béna Ouin..., ouin (Camille), 2021 Cotton, polyester fabric, polyester stuffing, soundbox 60 x 33 x 6 cm For any enquiries, please dm or email me at [email protected] #juliebena #nicoletticontemporary #theden #sculpture #contemporarysculpture #textile # lacework #plush #fairytale

𝒟𝓇𝒾𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝑀𝑜𝓊𝓉𝒽 𝟣, 2021 by @juliebena. Hand blown glass, powder-coated steel, lamp bulb, wires, 33 x 28 cm. currently on display at @nicoletticontemporary as part of 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒟𝑒𝓃, open until 6th November. These mouths- and hands-lamps are inspired by Jean Cocteau’s take on The Beauty and the Beast (1946, images 3 and 6), through which Béna analyses the ideologies embedded in fairy tales and children’s stories. Image 4 & 5: 𝒦𝑒𝑒𝓅 𝒾𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉, 2021. Hand blown glass, powder-coated steel, lamp bulbs, wires, 160 x 44 cm. Image 7 & 8: 𝒟𝓇𝒾𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝑀𝑜𝓊𝓉𝒽 2, 2021. Hand blown glass, powder-coated steel, lamp bulbs, wires, 33 x 28 cm. For any enquiries, please dm or contact me at [email protected] #juliebena #theden #nicoletticontemporary #contemporaryart #sculpture #lamp #fairytale #jeancocteau #thebeautyandthebeast #friezelondon #friezeweek

𝒮𝒽𝒽… ! (𝒻𝓁𝒶𝓉), 2021 by @juliebena. Powder-coated steel Left shoe: 46 x 18 cm Right shoe: 42 x 22 cm currently on display at @nicoletticontemporary as part of 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒟𝑒𝓃, Bèna’s first solo show with the gallery, open until 6th November. For any enquiries: please dm or email me at [email protected] Julie Béna was born in 1982 in Paris, France, and currently lives and works between Prague and Paris. She is a graduate of the Villa Arson, Nice, and attended the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. In 2012–13, she was part of le Pavillon, the research laboratory of the Palais de Tokyo, Paris. In 2018, she was nominated for the Prix AWARE women art prize. Béna had solo exhibitions at Villa Arson, Nice (2021); Kunstverein Bielefeld (2020); Kunstraum, London (2020); Jeu de Paume, Paris (2019); CAPC musée d’art contemporain, Bordeaux (2019); the Amparo Museum, Puebla, Mexico (2019); and CAC Passerelle, Brest, FR (2017). Her work has recently been exhibited at the Biennale de Rennes, FR; Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, FR; Chapter NY, New York, US; Kadist Art Foundation, Paris and San Francisco; Bozar, Brussels, BE; Polansky Gallery, Brno, CZ; 1646, The Hague, NL; C art C Madrid, ES; Protocinema, Istanbul, TR. Béna has staged numerous performances, including at the Centre Pompidou, Paris, FR; ICA, London, UK; M Leuven, BE; Palais de Tokyo, Paris, FR; and Performa NY, US. #juliebena #theden #nicoletticontemporary #contemporaryart #sculpture #shoes #metalwork #friezeweek #friezeweek2021

Installation views of ‘The Den’, @juliebena’s first solo exhibition at @nicoletticontemporary, which alludes to the myth of the ogre through a series of new sculptures made with various techniques such as metal forging, handmade lacework and glassblowing. The exhibition runs until 06th November, and we are open this Sunday as part of the Frieze East End Day, 11 am – 6 pm. Please dm or contact me at [email protected] for any enquiries. #juliebena #nicoletticontemporary #friezelondon #friezeweek #frieze2021 #eastlondon #theden #ogre #fairytale #mythology #sculpture #metalforging #glassblowing #lacework #contemporaryart #contemporarysculpture

Excited to announce our next exhibition @nicoletticontemporary: ‘The Den’, Julie Béna’s first solo show at the gallery, opening on Wednesday 29 September, 5–9 pm. @juliebena is an incredibly talented artist and I always loved the way in which her work manages to address critical questions with a great deal of quirkiness and acerbic humour. For this show, she created a completely new cycle of sculptures, in which she experimented with a wide range of techniques such as metal forging, handmade lacework and glass blowing. I wrote a text on the exhibition which you’ll find on our website very soon; in the meantime, here’s a sequence of images that might give you a sense of the twisted story Julie came up with: image 2, a blood-stained apron made of synthetic leather, satin and embroidery; image 3: a clock in the form of a spider web adorned with Roman numbers embroidered in silver threads; image 4: a freaky skeletal creature hanging upside-down; image 5: a weeping jester; image 6: Julie’s shoes hastily escaping the scene. I look forward to seeing some of you on the 29th. Meanwhile, please dm or contact me at [email protected] for any enquiries. xx #juliebena #nicoletticontemporary #contemporaryart #sculpture #embroidery #lacework #metal #metalforging #steel #textile #spider #fairytale #londongallery #eastlondongallery #vynerstreet

Josèfa Ntjam, ‘Jengu – Mami Wata’, 2021. Ceramic sculpture, enamel, 40 x 40 cm. ‘Jengu – Mami Wata’ is a ceramic sculpture representing Mami Wata, a voodoo figure and fish-woman divinity venerated in much of Africa. Titled after Léopold Moumié-Etia’s book ‘Jengu – Mammy Water’ (1981), Ntjam’s sculpture shows Mami Wata as a three-headed figure, evoking the divinity’s multiple identity in African mythology, where she can be alternatively represented as a monster, a mermaid, a dangerous woman or a saviour. As Ntjam explained in a recent interview in @contemporaryand, ‘I often refer to Mami Wata as I like the fact that, in certain aspects of her mythology, her/his gender is fluid. Mami Wata has as many stories as there are people telling it. When I was a child, my relatives recounted her story as a threat for children, and later I realized that adults were scared of her too. The way I decided to use this character in my work is also political, in relation to decolonial movement and thought. For me, Mami Wata is a figure of anti-colonial revolt who struggled against colonial invasion by crashing slave ships, helping slaves in the abyss, giving them second lives. This character is the memory of an abyssal depth.’ Only three days left to see ‘Jengu – Mami Wata’Currently at @nicoletticontemporary, where @josefantjam’s solo exhibition ‘Molecular Genealogies’ closes this Saturday. This artwork will then travel to @artorama_marseille, where we will be presenting a solo show by Ntjam from 27–29 August. For enquiries, please DM or contact me at [email protected] #josefantjam #mamiwata #mammiwater #djengou #jengu #leopoldmoumieetia #cameroon #mythology #africanritual #africanmythology #africanart #contemporaryart #ceramic #sculpture #londongallery #collector #youngcollectors #contemporaryartcollectors

Josèfa Ntjam, ‘Kelpe’, 2021. Photomontage printed on Chromalux, 90 x 60 cm. Photo: @theo_christelis_photo Kelps are large seaweed algae that grow in dense underwater forests along oceanic coasts, providing a fertile habitat to numerous species such as sponges, sea urchins, shellfish, and countless marine mammals. Ntjam’s eponymous artwork is a photomontage made of microscopic views of algae, flowers and pollen that she assembled into an abstract composition exploring the complex textures of organic life. In ‘Molecular Genealogies’, her solo show at NıCOLETTı, Ntjam also alludes to the mythological dimension of the word ‘Kelp’, which, by extension, refers to the shape-shifting spirit inhabiting lakes in Scottish folklore: the Kelpie. Traditionally described as horse-like creatures, the kelpies are able to adopt a human form, often betraying their nature by appearing with water weeds in their hair. Establishing a parallel between the constant mutation of underwater organisms and the kelpie’s ability to transform and disguise to infiltrate human societies, ‘Kelpe’ exemplifies Ntjam’s artistic methodology, which conflates scientific discourses, natural processes and narrative frameworks to speculate on not-yet-determined space-times – interstitial worlds where systems of perception and naming of fixed (id)entities no longer operate. ‘Kelpe’ is currently on display at @nicoletticontemporary, where @josefantjam’s solo exhibition will close on 31st July. For enquiries, please DM or contact me at [email protected] #josefantjam #nicoletticontemporary #contemporaryart #kelp #kelpie #algae #sealife #photomontage #photography #print #afrofuturism #digitalart #londongallery #collector #contemporaryartcollectors

Josèfa Ntjam ‘Offering to Djengou’, 2021 Ceramic sculpture, enamel H: 35 x D: 45 cm ‘Offering to Djengou’ is a ceramic jar with nine spouts taking the form of oyster mushrooms. The artwork’s title refers to one of the names used in Cameroon to designate the goddess Mami Wata, a voodoo figure and fish-woman divinity venerated in much of Africa. As the Cameroonian writer Léopold Moumié-Etia’s explains in his book ‘Jengu – Mammy Water’ (1981), Mami Wata is a ‘being that can be either masculine or feminine… usually represented with very dark which can, however, turn white at will’. In ‘Molecular Genealogies’, her first solo exhibition at NıCOLETTı, Josèfa Ntjam invites us to emulate the goddess’ capacity to constantly change her appearance, gender and identity through a selection of beverages concocted to invoke Mami Wata’s spirit and prepare our bodies for future revolts. Above the sculpture, a video enumerates these potions’ recipes, listing the required ingredients to either ‘create disorder’, ‘summon our undead’, or ‘for our independence’, for which the artist recommends a mix of ‘crushed plantamisée [sieved plantain] + elderflower + castor-oil branch + sunflower’, which should then be ‘applied as cataplasms on our monuments.’ ‘Offering to Djengou’ is currently on display at @nicoletticontemporary, where @josentjam’s solo show, ‘Molecular Genealogies', will be open through 31 July. For enquiries, please DM or contact me at [email protected] #josefantjam #mamiwata #mammiwater #djengou #jengu #leopoldmoumieetia #cameroon #mythology #africanritual #africanmythology #africanart #contemporaryart #ceramic #sculpture #londongallery #collector #youngcollectors #contemporaryartcollectors

Josèfa Ntjam ‘Moumiémone’, 2021 Photomontage printed by sublimation on Chromalux 120 x 80 cm ‘Moumiémone’ is a photomontage made of microscopic views of plants and archival photographs – documentation of historical events, portraits of political dissidents, pictures of the artist’s family members – printed on Chromalux (a material that allows the infusion of the image directly onto the aluminium panel). The artwork’s title, a contraction between the name of Cameroonian writer and militant Marthe Ekemeyong Moumié (1931–2009) and an anemone, intertwines historical and natural processes. On the top left, a photograph of Moumié merges with a portrait of Harriet Tubman (1822–1913), a former slave who became a prominent American abolitionist by rescuing 70 enslaved people using the Underground Railroad networks. At the bottom, a photograph of Huey Percy Newton (1942–89), one the co-founders of the Black Panthers, faces an image showing an insurgent during the French riots of 2005. At the top right, other photographs of the Black panthers are juxtaposed with images of aquatic plants, as well as the digital rendering of a snake, a mythological animal that the artist sees as providing a model of fluidity and ungraspability. Layered with close up images of crystals and moisture, ‘Moumiémone’ dive into the microcosmic to capture the textures of personal and collective memories, establishing a parallel between the ways in which molecules behave at a microscopic level – dividing, multiplying, coagulating and, ultimately, contaminating/healing organisms – and the way in which micro-organizations converge and spread across different cells of society to contaminate/heal political bodies. ‘Moumiémone’ is currently on display at @nicoletticontemporary, where @josentjam’s solo show, ‘Molecular Genealogies', will be open through 31 July. For enquiries, please DM or contact me at [email protected] #josefantjam #contemporaryart #africanart #marthemoumie #harriettubman #hueypercynewton #blackpanthers #riots #cameroon #politics #photography #photomontage #print #londongallery #collector #youngcollectors #contemporaryartcollectors

portrait d’apparat w/ beloved @cananbatur, by the amazing @sanabadb. This photograph was shot during the launch of ‘The Same Moon Above Us: A Tunisian Tale’ (image 2), a book introducing the fresh wave of Tunisian photography talent, edited by ever-incredible @estellem_____ (if you understand French, read the intro, it’s absolutely gorgeous and incredibly powerful), with works by Jawher Ouni, Sana Badri, Salem Jabou, Oumayma B. Tanfous, Kaïs Dhifi, Safouane Ben Slama, Souheila Ghorbel, and Nyzar Trabxlsi. Grab a copy while you can ! #thesamemoomaboveus #tunisia #photography #portrait #portraitphotography #book #artbook #photographybook #postcolonialism #tunisie #tunisianartist

The Tide is Turning: absolutely brilliant article about @josefantjam, written by @raquelvilpe for the British Journal of Photography, published both in print and online (see link in bio). ‘[Ntjam] establishes non-hierarchical dialogues between things that are seemingly exclusive of one another, facilitating an encounter where new possibilities can emerge. The symbols of water, mythology and African imagery continue to be the references that allow her to create spaces for emancipation and further critical reflection on the idea of constructed memories, hybrid identities and plural possible futures.’ — Raquel Villar-Pérez Ntjam’s exhibition ‘Molecular Genealogies’ is on view through 31st July at @nicoletticontemporary. Please, contact me at [email protected] for any enquiries. — @bjp1854 #josefantjam #raquelvillarperez #thebritishjournalofphotography #nicoletticontemporary #artcollector #youngcollectors #collectingart #contemporaryart #photography #criticism #contemporaryphotography #photomontage #digitalart #afrofuturism #blackfuturity #africanmythology