The show is about the history of light as a watch, but Kiwanga is also interested in ways to avoid people being seen. The title “Off-the-grid” hints at this. The term suggests living away from the power grid, but artists also indicate that they can be invisible or fraudulent. The “cloak” curtain is translucent. It acts as a kind of hiding place when you have a good view, block it at the same time, and step behind.
The exhibition also includes a 2019 sculpture entitled “Maya Bantu”. Composed of metal rods suspended from the ceiling and covered with bristle and shining sisal strands in the light, this work also evokes aspects of the colonial past. After seeing a large plantation in Tanzania, the artist was first interested in the material. The crop is native to Central America. It was brought into the area by German colonists and used as an important cash crop. In “Maya Bantu”, sisal is not yet fixed. “It’s not a rug or rope yet, but it’s no longer a plant. It’s just this raw material, a matter of possibility.”
When visitors face darkness in the gallery, the dangers of Kiwanga’s decision to work only in natural light become more apparent as the sunlight diminishes. For now, New Museum guard Carol Fasler says darkness is only a problem during the last 45 minutes or so of the museum’s Thursday night viewing time. Visitors are initially confused, says Fasler, but it adds dimension to the work.
“When it got dark, I started asking why there was no lighting, so I talked about the history of lantern law,” Fasler said. “As it gets darker, the whole thing seems to shed light on her ideas.”
Kapwani Kiwanga: Off-the-grid
Until October 16th, the New Museum at 235 Bowery in Manhattan. 212-219-1222; newmuseum.org.
