Bubu Ogisi: I am not myself

7 May – 29 August 2022
The Tetley
Preview: Fri 6 May, 5–8pm

Artist Bubu Ogisi presents I am not myself, an exhibition exploring the spirituality of masquerading. Drawing on the ritual use of adornments in various sacred African institutions, including the Nwantantay of Burkina Faso, the Bedu of Ivory Coast and the Ogbodo Enyi of Nigeria, Ogisi’s works respond to complex symbolism represented by these practices.

Expanding out from the Shirley Cooper Gallery and Gallery 9, Ogisi’s exhibition includes a large scale, handmade tapestry, hung adjacent to the Atrium, and is completed by four original flags, commissioned for The Tetley’s roof.

With a focus on using and reusing natural and non-natural materials, including raffia, sheet metal, glass beads, plant fibres and plastic, the exhibition explores mask making as a decolonial process of healing disorder through experimentation with traditional and innovative techniques.

Ogisi invites you into an imagined ‘sacred grove’, a secret space where objects used in masquerading are stored outside of their use in rituals. The family of objects used and worn in these ceremonies offers the possibility of spiritual transfiguration of the body and soul. The wearer, temporarily released from their own sense of ‘self’, is free to be guided by supernatural forces.

Masquerading is presented as a tool for connecting with a mythic tradition that challenges present ideas of the self and our relationship to our bodies, environment and spiritual world.

The exhibition is the culmination of The Tetley’s Here, There & Everywhere partnership with New Art Exchange. Here, There & Everywhere is New Art Exchange’s international programme, supported by Ambition for Excellence, Arts Council England.

Press Visits and Enquiries
For enquiries, images or to arrange a visit please contact Hannah Keating, Marketing and Communications Manager: hannah.keating@thetetley.org / 07800797245

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NOTES TO EDITORS

About The Tetley
The Tetley is a pioneering centre for contemporary art located in the stunning art deco headquarters of the former Tetley Brewery. From the heart of Leeds’ South Bank, The Tetley creates a platform for amazing emerging artists, presents breathtaking free exhibitions and helps communities and young people in Leeds find their creative voice.

The Tetley is supported by Arts Council England, Tetley’s Beers, Leeds City Council and Garfield Weston Foundation.

The Tetley, Hunslet Road, Leeds, LS10 1JQ
Open Wednesdays–Sundays, 10am–5pm