On Feb. 25, the School of Art + Art History + Design hosted sculptor Dozie Kanu for the latest installment of the Critical Issues Lecture Series. A former production designer, interior designer, and current sculptor and artist, Kanu experiments with a variety of different mediums to convey messages to a broad audience.
Currently living in Portugal in a warehouse renovated into a studio, Kanu began his journey at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Originally a film major, Kanu went on to experiment with different art forms.
“How do we create free and open spaces for experimentation and play within capital-intensive modes of expression?” Kanu said during the lecture. “That includes architecture, industrial design, sculpture, cinema, film … My hope is that I can just continue to navigate these spaces.”
Finding new spaces for creativity and experimentation is central to Kanu’s work. Throughout the lecture, Kanu focused on concepts of manipulating different art forms and overcoming the adversity that is central to many of these “capital-intensive modes of expression.”
After working as a production designer, freelancer, and set designer for New York Fashion Week runways, Kanu looked for a “steadier job,” which led him to a role as an assistant for an interior designer. After that, Kanu was able to show two sculptures in a group show; this show hosted the first of his famous chairs. Soon after, he would show a collection in another group show called “Midtown” at the Lever House.
“At this time I was thinking a lot about what was going to happen post-graduation and not falling victim to the trappings of white supremacy,” Kanu said regarding his process of making “Chair [i].” “So I was very adamant on stacking the black chair over the white chair as a sort of symbol of overcoming whatever was to come after graduating.”
Kanu explained that one of the first inspirations for his chair series came from a Scott Burton exhibition at the Kasmin Gallery. The interactive elements of this work allowed Kanu to see the difference between being a sculptor and a designer.
“This kind of broke that wall down for me,” Kanu said. “After doing more research and realizing that he was very much considered a sculptor — even though a lot of his work is sort of furniture objects … it was like anti-intimidation. As someone who felt like an outsider, I felt like I wasn’t intimidated by the concept of the work.”
Kanu expressed his wish to be considered a sculptor rather than a designer, mostly because of the different contexts of his work.
“I didn’t really consider what I was making [to be] furniture,” Kanu said. “[I] more considered what I was doing [as] alluding to functionality a lot of the time; I’m mainly using the chair as a kind of symbol for the absence of a body.”
While the sculptures are both functional and interactive, they are more symbolic and complex than a simple chair. In the chair series, Kanu played with the capital-intensive form of expression found in industrial design by elaborating on the design beyond its inherent functionality.
During the lecture, which was held over Zoom, Kanu took the opportunity to show the audience around his warehouse-turned-studio in Portugal.
“Since I’m in this space, I might as well show you guys around,” Kanu said.
This was a unique opportunity to show the isolated experience that Kanu has intentionally created to enable his creative spirit. It was also eye-opening to be able to see the variety of “found objects” that Kanu utilized in his sculptures. Scattered around his studio were headboards, a mirror, and an ironing board — all of which were included in the collection of unique found items that Kanu is working with. He is hoping to show new projects in London at the end of this year.
The remainder of the event was reserved for a Q&A, during which audience members asked questions about how Kanu came to live in Portugal. Kanu noted how incredibly isolating of an environment his studio was, which is important and wonderful if you work with materials, but is not for everyone.
The next Critical Issues Lecture Series event will be hosted March 4 at noon and will feature a lecture from artist and curator Anthony White.
Reach writer Megan Matti at [email protected]. Twitter: @megan_matti
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