Category: Samson Kambalu

World Elephant Day – Meet Samson Kambalu’s Elephant Chiefs

Noel Salaun, Lilongwe, 1960s

On World Elephant Day, we take a closer look at the huge elephants in Samson Kambalu’s exhibition New Liberia, and the symbolism of the elephant mask in Malawian Nyau tradition. As you enter Samson Kambalu’s exhibition New Liberia, you are greeted by two Nyau elephant chiefs. Nyau is the secret society of the Chewa people… Continue reading World Elephant Day – Meet Samson Kambalu’s Elephant Chiefs

Watch: Samson Kambalu meets Alayo Akinkugbe of Instagram’s @ablackhistoryofart

When Cambridge Art History student Alayo Akinkugbe created her @ablackhistoryofart Instagram account, she was responding to her own “frustration at the lack of Black representation” in her degree. The project garnered interest from around the world and she now has over fifty thousand followers of her feed, which highlights overlooked black artists, sitters, curators and… Continue reading Watch: Samson Kambalu meets Alayo Akinkugbe of Instagram’s @ablackhistoryofart

Behind-the-scenes: Making Samson Kambalu’s elephants

Behind the scenes at Modern Art Oxford, 2021. Photo: Amy Budd

Discover how artist Samson Kambalu collaborated with others to create his elephant sculptures In this video, meet the team behind Samson Kambalu’s life-size elephant sculptures. To create the works, Kambalu collaborated with seamstress Ann Tutt and a group of MFA students from the Ruskin School of Art. See how the students respond to Kambalu’s use… Continue reading Behind-the-scenes: Making Samson Kambalu’s elephants

Samson Kambalu’s 10 Rules of Nyau Cinema

The ten films displayed here are selected from Kambalu’s series titled Nyau Cinema (2012 – ongoing), in which the artist performs as a liberated ‘everyman’, wittily demonstrating how freedom of expression can spark social connection. In the final gallery, Kambalu shows expressions of individual freedoms in public spaces as joyfully transgressive acts. In Nyau Cinema… Continue reading Samson Kambalu’s 10 Rules of Nyau Cinema

Listen: Audio Described Exhibition Tour – Samson Kambalu: New Liberia

Explore Samson Kambalu’s New Liberia with an audio described exhibition tour The artist and curators lead a special tour of the major exhibition New Liberia, featuring an audio described introduction of the speakers and the exhibition. – You can read a transcript of the audio description below. Welcome to Samson Kambalu: New Liberia. One of South East Africa’s… Continue reading Listen: Audio Described Exhibition Tour – Samson Kambalu: New Liberia

Samson Kambalu wins Trafalgar Square Fourth Plinth

We are excited to announce that artist Samson Kambalu will be one of two new commissions for Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth. Samson Kambalu, who has a major solo exhibition at Modern Art Oxford (22 May – 5 September 2021) presents the powerful new sculpture, Antelope for the commission. Antelope restages a 1914 photograph of the Baptist… Continue reading Samson Kambalu wins Trafalgar Square Fourth Plinth

6 things you might not know about Samson Kambalu

If you’ve visited our current exhibition Samson Kambalu: New Liberia you’ll know that the artist gets lots of inspiration from his own life and experiences. From his childhood in Malawi, to his life as an Oxford University professor, we’ve put together a list of 6 things you might not know about Samson Kambalu and his creative… Continue reading 6 things you might not know about Samson Kambalu

Watch: McKenzie Wark on the Situationist International

Discover the Situationists with writer McKenzie Wark On 8 June 2021, New York-based writer McKenzie Wark joined us for a fascinating online conversation with artist Samson Kambalu. In this online event, Wark responds to Samson Kambalu’s exhibition, focusing on Kambalu’s research into détournement, a practice developed by the intriguing French avant-garde group, the Situationist International. Part of… Continue reading Watch: McKenzie Wark on the Situationist International