Mimic Series
Eijie & Ihe Di Ka
Year: 2016
Medium: Gold-plated human tooth (inside), Poly-fiber, Wax-print Cotton, Wool
Dimensions: Approx. 43” circumference
Description: The sculptures - “Ihe Di Ka” & “Ejije” - are mirror images of each other, made from scraps of fabric that Nanci Amaka has held unto for years: the first scarf she ever knit herself, pieces of cloth from a family portrait where her whole family had clothes made from the same fabric, an unfinished weaving by a now deceased family member, and teeth from another deceased family member lost a decade ago. There is also a sound element to these pieces that can be found on the artist’s website - disjointed from the tactile experience of the work. These pieces address what is lost when loved ones die and what is left behind or held on to.
Mimic Swing (2016)
When I first heard her voice
She was broken
A part of her
had cracked through her ribs
and floated away
What could I say
I had lost too
Many many times.
Parts of me
Swing
Just a half second out of sync
With the rest of me
What can I say
My tongue has turned to ash
Trapping three thousand lifetimes
In my throat
I swallow hard and ask
Why she kept his teeth
But I know
A tactile reminder
Of the phantom restlessness
Pulsing just under lungs
Maybe one day
My truth will reveal itself to me
And I can see both sides of the mirror
Untangle my voice
Match it to my face
Sew it all up
And crawl into it
And we can live
She and I
Mute in our
Abstract, unrecognizable lonelinesses
Sewn into flesh
We could scream ourselves hoarse
And even that, would be contained
Absorbed
And we could never lose
Another piece of us
Ever again.