Nifemi Marcus-Bello makes an impression at Design Miami 2023

Nifemi Marcus-Bello is making a big splash at Design Miami 2023 (6 – 10 December) with a solo presentation of new work (previewed here) at Marta Los Angeles’ booth.

The designer’s new body of works is made from sand-cast aluminum. Named ‘Oríkì (Act II): Tales by Moonlight’, after a children’s television programme he watched growing up, the collection comprises functional sculptures made in an auto-parts foundry in Lagos. 

The works (following 'Oríkì (Act I): Friction Ridge' shown at Marta in early 2023) comment on issues surrounding the dynamics of globalisation, production chains and supply-and-demand dynamics, reflecting Marcus-Bello’s interest in the cottage industry that has emerged in West Africa to fabricate the parts needed for the second-cycle cars that arrive in the region from America and Europe. It also raises questions around the life-cycle of materials in global society.

Through working with these autoparts casters, Marcus-Bello pays homage to local craftsmanship, rooted in vernacular modes of fabrication. It is in the exhibition’s title that it all truly comes together. 

He explains, ‘Tales by Moonlight was a [TV] show I always looked forward to watching as a kid. My wish for a very long time was wanting to be on the set, hearing the folk stories told by the “Aunties and Uncles” in person. I never had the opportunity to be on the set, but carrying out research in the early stages of this project felt a bit surreal. 

‘During the making of the objects in Owode Onirin, we would always gather with the foundry lead and his assistants and ideate around the best way to produce these pieces. There were a lot of failures in the early stages and a lot of learnings, and it created the same feeling I had watching the show as a kid and so I thought it was fitting to title this work, Tales by Moonlight.’

Nifemi Marcus-Bello, ‘Oríkì (Act II): Tales by Moonlight’, 6 – 10 December 2023, Design Miami, marta.la

Design Miami 2023 runs 6 – 10 December, preview day 5 December, designmiami.com