Otobong Nkanga has changed the way we understand the earth and our place in it. “Humans are only a small, minute part of the ecosystem,” the artist has said. “My works connect us to our shared histories, not just through land and geography, but through emotions shaped by events and encounters. These are the cadences of life.” Otobong Nkanga: Cadence presents a new commission by the artist: an all-encompassing environment of tapestry, sculpture, sound, and text that explores the turbulent rhythms of nature and society. Created specifically for MoMA’s Marron Family Atrium, the installation centers on a monumental, multi-paneled tapestry that suggests sprawling ecosystems and galaxies.
Suspended along the highest wall of the Atrium, the large-scale tapestry features a kaleidoscopic range of natural and synthetic fibers created by the artist using innovative digital weaving techniques at the TextielLab in Tilburg, the Netherlands. Sculptures composed of dyed ropes, interwoven with hand-blown glass and ceramic forms, hang floor-to-ceiling alongside ceramic tablets imprinted with the artist’s poems. These diverse elements are brought together within an immersive sound work based on the voice and breathwork of the artist. Cadence confronts both the beauty and the degradation of the natural world—and its upheaval amid industrial and technological revolutions, resource extraction, and war. The monumental installation creates new ways of perceiving—and feeling—the massive shifts taking place in our time.
Live performances will take place in spring 2025. Further details will be provided here in the coming weeks.
Organized by Michelle Kuo, Chief Curator at Large and Publisher, with Elizabeth Wickham, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Painting and Sculpture, Helena Klevorn, Curatorial Assistant to the Chief Curator at Large and Publisher, and Aimee Keefer, Senior Exhibition Designer.
With thanks to the TextielLab team at the TextielMuseum, The Netherlands (Hebe Verstappen, Stef Miero, Noortje van den Elzen, Gerard Kuijpers, Babette Pörtzgen, Nicolien Hekking, Frank de Wind, Alonso Muenala Vega, Michel Leermakers, Perry van den Hout, Frans Verbunt, Ron van de Pol, Jim Rollé, Lise Verbunt, Annette Jeronimus, Wil van den Heuvel, Liesbet van Gestel, Miranda Horsten, Hans van Gool, Gonny Vingerhoets, Ardie Smeulders); Art Domantay Artworks (Art Domantay, Lucy Colebrook, Jacob Olemedo, Marie Ucci, Cybi, Roberto Flores); Domanises (Michal Andrzej Grzemski, Juan Carlos Iñesta Perez); Powerhouse Arts (Em Flaire, Jeremy Gender, Daniel Quinn, Cuba, Brittni Collins, Hana Jackson, Dennis Hrehowsik); Sticky Glass (Grace Whiteside, Diego Brindis, Molly Burke, Alix DeFabbia-Kane, Emily Doerflein, Foley, Liesl Schubel, Isaac Tecosky, Alex Kruger); Sound Design, Brooklyn Sound & Image (Neil Benezra); Contemporary Sound; P4 Studio.
