Nominated by The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Kekeli Sumah is a visual artist whose work explores the cultural politics of globalization and the construction of identity, particularly the interrelationship between Europe and Africa. By mingling Western art historical traditions with what is often distanced as 'Other,' Sumah uses the lens of post-colonialism and hybridity to question the constituent characteristics of contemporary identity. As a result of introducing potent ready-mades such as chocolate and paper airplanes into the space of the art-event, he playfully reconfigures the history projected onto the objects, showing the inherent fragmentary nature of the component parts. Kekeli Sumah is a recent graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Image: Love Me Forever As I Am, 5' x 5', Oil, Gesso, Insulation Foam, Chocolate, Balloons, Gold Tape on Linen, 2013.
LAUNCH Invitational