The Forever Museum Archive_Circa 6000BCE: Onyedika Chuke and Gabriel Florenz in Brooklyn Rail!
On September 3 at 1 PM, Onyedika Chuke and curator Gabriel Florenz will join writer Lee Ann Norman for a conversation on The Forever Museum Archive_Circa 6000BCE and a poetry reading hosted by The Brooklyn Rail!
The event will happen via Zoom. Register here!
Onyedika Chuke
The Forever Museum Archive_Circa 6000BCE
June 12–October 31
Thursday–Sunday, 12–5 p.m.
Presented in partnership with Pioneer Works, curated by Gabriel Florenz
Onyedika Chuke is an artist and archivist who, since 2011, has been focused on The Forever Museum Archive, an ongoing project that brings together a disquieting collection of sculptures, text and images that serve as reference points through which to trace the systems of power that shape contemporary society.
LMCC and Pioneer Works now present the most recent iteration of this project, The Forever Museum Archive_Circa 6000BCE. This large-scale installation, a culmination of research conducted by Chuke on Rikers Island (2018–19), in Rome (2015), and in Libya (2011), will feature sculptural work cast by the artist alongside historical artifacts, framed within a labyrinth of Quaker pews. Together the work weaves together postcolonial theory with material workmanship to analyze the origins of the carceral state, the military and religion.
About Onyedika Chuke
Onyedika Chuke is a New York-based American sculptor and archivist born in Onitsha, Nigeria. Often intrigued by international politics, his analysis of history and media are pertinent reminders of social constructs that characterize our collective memory. From 2016 to 2018 Chuke was a fellow at The Drawing Center. In the years 2013 to 2015 he participated in Queens Museum Studio Program. From January 2018 to 2019, Chuke served as New York City Public Artist in Residence (P.A.I.R). The position placed him in the offices of Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) and Department of Corrections (DOC) Rikers Island. He has also held fellowships at Sculpture Center, Socrates Sculpture Park and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. His archive has received support from organizations such as The Artist Alliance Inc and The American Academy in Rome. Onyedika Chuke is a graduate of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (2011).
About Pioneer Works
Pioneer Works is an admission-free 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural center in Red Hook, Brooklyn with a mission to build community through the arts and sciences to create an open and inspired world. Since its founding by artist Dustin Yellin in 2012, Pioneer Works has hosted over 250 residents in the arts and sciences, mounted over 60 original exhibitions and held over 600 interdisciplinary public programs and performances.