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THE BAJA POST
NEWSROOM
SOURCE: PR NEWSMEDIA
Open now at Glenbow at The Edison and running until May 19, Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships is the work of Ghanian-Canadian artist Ekow Nimako. As a LEGO® artist, Nimako builds whimsical and elaborate sculptures incorporating Afrofuturistic themes rooted in history and political inquiry—using thousands of black LEGO® elements.
«It’s such an important role for an art museum to provide opportunities to revisit and reimagine historical events through a contemporary lens,» says Glenbow President & CEO Nicholas R. Bell. «We are thrilled to have Ekow Nimako’s monumental pieces on display at Glenbow at The Edison for our visitors to experience. It’s vital to demonstrate diverse perspectives and mediums in the visual arts and provide opportunities for deeper conversations about who we are and how we engage with our past.»
In Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships, Nimako reimagines ancient African kingdoms, with four major works featured in the exhibition. Using various LEGO® elements as his medium, Nimako explores the mysterious 14th century sea voyage of Mansa Abu Bakr II, predecessor of Mansa Musa, ruler of the medieval empire of Mali.
«For this body of work, I really got to explore a very specific narrative. Once I learned about this massive fleet that was assembled, I was completely captivated,» says Nimako. «They represented the culture there, which, at the time, was guided by African, Black, Muslim monarchy and social structure. It was such a significant voyage, and one that notably occurred almost 150 years before Columbus.»Combining architecture, Akan iconography, science fiction and fantasy elements, Nimako transcends the geometric LEGO® forms to create artworks that uniquely transcend history.
