Katchokwe Style

Overview

For Sharjah Biennial 9 Yonamine produced Katchokwe Style, a sprawling site-specific installation in the Sharjah Contemporary Arab Art Museum. The gallery floor was covered with piles of sandbags filled with different shades of sand and slogans were graffitied onto the walls. Each sandbag was silk-screened with text and portraits of political leaders, including George Bush and Samora Machel. The installation created an unsettling space that appeared to serve several functions: part gallery chill-out zone, part construction site and part war trench.

Katchokwe Style poigantly recalls African and intenational events that have shaped African society. The bags resemble aid parcels or elements from Yonamine’s birthplace, particularly Angola’s tradeswomen who make a meagre living by exchanging money in the streets. In this context the installation assumes the role of survival bunker.

An important element of the work is the sand itself, specifically in relation to Angola. The Tchokwe tribe of Angola draw in the earth to explain directions and landmarks for hunting trips. Using his fingers the hunter outlines symbols in the sand which form a stylised map or itinerary for the journey ahead. Taking a contemporary approach towards this traditional practice, Yonamine has reinterpreted the sand drawings and their stories to form his installation.


This project was part of Sharjah Biennial 9