Katie Tobin

Your show explores themes of generational legacy and the evolving nature of archives. Could you talk about how your Nigerian heritage influences the conceptualization and execution of this series?

One of the driving forces in making this work was to archive memories from everyday life referencing the continuity of a generation. My mother’s stories sparked a curiosity which led me to do some research on my great-grandmother’s life. It was so difficult to get photographs of her. The lack of her photos led me to make images of my daughter’s interactions with her family, friends and environment.

Also, women of the older generation do not joke with their Ankara fabric. It’s a piece of prized possession. Often filling their boxes with them and wearing them on different occasions. I see it as a piece of art that speaks the ideas of what the wearer wants to share with the community.

There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child. In my sourcing for these fabrics, I go into my community, meeting tailors and getting these waste fabrics from their shops which otherwise will likely end up at the dump site. I see the tailor’s shop as a meeting point of the community where their fabrics and the stories contained within them converge. So, this work was also focused on the growing community that surrounds and supports a child.

I explore my great-grandmother’s legacy which was her wish for formal education and how the women in my family are breaking the barriers one generation at a time. There is also the idea of intergenerational care and dialogue, which you see in Weekend with Grandma (2022) my mother tending to my children. She is adorned in a blue wrapper that looks like a typical African print fabric which commemorates the memories of my great-grandmother. I tried to create a passing down of knowledge from one generation to the other. Also, in Diatacheko’s Parlour where my mother-in-law’s space becomes a meeting point for cousins to interact.

I’d love to know about the artistic process for your pieces, especially how you incorporate the Ankara fabric into the pieces and its significance as a material for you.

Ankara fabrics speak to the idea of community and it is a clothing material sown and worn for different ceremonies ranging from birthdays, weddings and even funerals amongst many tribes in Nigeria and Africa. The fabrics are vibrant and are part of everyday life in Nigeria. It’s also used as an asoebi where you see family and friends adorned in the same type of fabric for celebrations. It exudes a feeling of solidarity and support. 

I usually go into my neighbourhood to source for the fabrics from the tailors. These fabrics are waste from their sewing. And I see the tailor’s shop as a point where the fabric from the community meets. The fabrics hold within them stories from different people coming from different homes but somehow are mixed together in my bag of waste fabric to begin a new conversation in my work. I love the idea of the community contributing in a way to my work and also giving the fabric a second life instead of ending up in the bin. These are some of the reasons I’m drawn to textiles.

Once in the studio, I begin with a sketch and then build the work from there. I manipulate the fabric to create this intricate and textured layering which creates some kind of complexity within the work. I use that to symbolize our complexities as humans. The idea is to be able to pull you in a bit more and make you reconsider how you see. For me, it’s a beautiful experience to be able to feel the materials with my hands while working. I also used acrylic colours and other materials like paper, charcoal, pencil etc and this always reminds me of my time working with my father as a young girl. As an artist and signwriter himself, he works with different materials in executing his works. I love the process of mixing colours to get the hues that connect with me. It’s so beautiful to be able to bring together materials that otherwise should be separate and make them whole on the canvas, each contributing to the conversation.

Your work blurs the boundary between objective documentary and personal experience by drawing on photographic source material. How do you navigate this intersection between the real and the subjective in your artistic practice?

The photographs are references that I build upon. There is something really magical in photos. I think they are usually more treasured when time has elapsed. I think it’s nostalgia. You realize that’s one thing you get to remember a time one had. I see my process of conceptualizing as a collage since the composition is all built up and assembled. I’m always not constrained by the photographs instead I see it as a material that can be built upon to create new and layered stories. I moved things around a lot. I play around with colours and sometimes the form until the composition feels right.

Female empowerment and the role of motherhood are central themes in your series. How do you portray these concepts through your art, and what messages do you aim to convey to your audience about the experiences of contemporary African women?

I often portray women as having their own agency because they do. And working across different generations, my work has been an advocate for education for women and girls as it is one sure way of empowerment. In this series, I didn’t feature in any of the works, but I was present and behind the camera in the photos that the works are based on. It makes me realize that sometimes women might not be in the picture but that doesn’t mean they are not working behind the scenes to ensure all goes well. I hope women get their dues in their private and public life as well as in history books as well.

In some of the works I have done in the past, you will find my women in repose and that is because we go through a lot on a personal and societal level. I really wanted them to have a moment of rest. I want to convey their strength and beauty, doggedness, and complexity.

I love that your work serves as a testament to the beauty you can find within the mundane. I’m curious about what draws you to explore these seemingly ordinary moments. How do you elevate them to evoke deeper emotional resonance within your art?

There is indeed beauty in everyday living and meaning that can transcend the mundane as they can also point to the bigger issues in our society. These ordinary moments make up our lives and have the power to deepen our connections with others. They are like the thread that holds everything together. There is something about time, it’s always ticking and that can make us get lost in the hustle and bustle of life. So, this realization grounds me to enjoy the presence and find joy and significance in the moments with my loved ones.

I have a deep connection with the subjects and moments that I feature in my work as I seek to also celebrate the people in my life that create this beauty. For this work, I wanted to create something that sparks joy, care and love; that centres the young ones and takes us as adults down memory lane. I hope it inspires us to pause and appreciate the joy and beauty in our daily lives.

As your first solo exhibition in London, what significance does this milestone hold for you personally and professionally, and how do you envision it contributing to the broader discourse on contemporary African art?

I’m truly honoured and it fills my heart with so much joy that I can finally share this body of work with others at Rele Gallery’s new space in London. It is a great opportunity to share my artistic vision and my stories to a wider audience. I also hope my solo exhibition shows the diversity and richness of African art, and challenges stereotypes while also promoting a more nuanced understanding of the continent’s artistic practices. I hope it inspires other artists from the continent to continue to pursue their own creative aspirations.
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Marcellina Akpojotor (b.1989, Lagos) is known for her captivating exploration of femininity, cultural identity, and empowerment through her vibrant and layered collage artworks. She was first introduced to visual arts by her father, who worked as a sign maker and went on to study Art and Industrial Design at Lagos State Polytechnic in 2012. She received a BA from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in Fine and Applied Arts, in 2019.