Maree Nikimaya: Steel Karkade

Steel Karkade showcases the multifaceted experiences of Black women in the diaspora, as well as the artist’s South Sudanese heritage. For her, the livelihoods and narratives of her ancestors and the Black women who came before her are significantly underrepresented and unwritten; her practice endeavours to bring light and permanence to their stories and cultural history.

In envisioning a timeless and historical scene that represents the ultimate expression of ancestral devotion and veneration, Maree Nikimaya brings together key ancestral figures, motifs, and archaeological iconography that meld into Steel Karkade; an ode to afro-surrealism and Black spirituality.