We are pleased to be among the 170 leading galleries to assemble at the eleventh anniversary edition of EXPO CHICAGO, returning to Navy Pier’s Festival Hall April 11–14. The International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern art celebrates galleries from 90 cities and 36 countries.
We are thrilled to present works from both Athi-Patra Ruga and Elias Mung'ora at EXPO Chicago 2024.
The work “Lizalis Indinga Lakho/Autistik Imperium (Manifest Destiny/Autistic Empire)” was the headliner for Athi-Patra Ruga’s monumental solo exhibition "Queens in Exile 2014-2017" show at WHATIFTHEWORLD Gallery in 2017.
The tapestry is based on a cartoon drawn by Ruga and was collaboratively embroidered by the artist and three assistants. Seated on a peacock chair, referencing a 1967 photo of Huey P. Newton, is Her Majesty the Versatile Queen Ivy. Her face is based on the only photo Ruga possesses of his maternal grandmother, Nompuku Millie Ngalonkulu. In her head is the decapitated head of The Elder, a character from earlier exhibitions of Ruga's. On bent knees in front of this character is a comic book mummy, the Walking Wound, a recurring motif representing corporeal trauma.
In his evocative series "One of Many Ideas of Home," Elias Mung'ora embarks on a deeply personal exploration of identity, belonging, and familial history. Drawing from his own experiences and relationships, as well as a quest to understand his ancestry in Nyeri, Central Kenya, Mung'ora weaves a rich narrative that examines the interplay between individual lives and broader historical contexts. Through the integration of old family photographs, often layered to the point of obscurity, he seeks to connect with and evoke memories and histories that are otherwise inaccessible, inviting a reflection on the ways we relate to our pasts.
Central to the series is the recurring motif of carpets, symbolizing contested spaces and the notion of home as both a physical and emotional construct. This theme is particularly poignant in works like “Lunch in the Midst of an Unplanned Move,” where the absence of a carpet reflects a moment of displacement and a reevaluation of what it means to belong. Mung'ora’s work transcends the autobiographical, challenging viewers to consider their own perceptions of home and identity against the backdrop of Kenya's colonial history and the universal quest for rootedness and connection.
