NOWHERE TO GO BUT ANYWHERE
Tribambuka Solo Show
Migration Museum
22.03.2024 - 26.05.2024
Thursday-Saturday 11AM- 5:30 PM
Lewisham Shopping Centre,
London SE13 7HB London
Funded by Art Council England Project Grant
Tribambuka invites audiences to delve into the intricate layers of 'home', through an ambitious interactive exhibition at the Migration Museum in London. Curated by Aditi Anand, "Nowhere to go but anywhere" presents an immersive journey through the artist’s sketchbooks, encompassing drawings, collages, writing, found materials, printmaking experiments, animations, film, and photography.
"Home," a universal yet deeply personal concept, serves as the exhibition's thematic compass. Originating in 2019, the theme underwent a profound evolution, spurred by the forced limbo of the pandemic in 2020 and the tumultuous years that followed, with violent conflicts erupting across the globe that led to a collective feeling of the world, and all previous concepts of ‘home’, falling apart. This evolution scrutinises 'home' as both a sanctuary and a politicised, confining space, capturing the feeling of being a stranger everywhere and having to build one’s own ground anew, time and time again.
The exhibition contains several elements that unfold as an introspective journey. Its spectacular centrepiece takes the form of a suspended fabric house with an experimental video projection. The video work involves a variety of different techniques and sources, such as sketches, drawings, characters adapted from Tribambuka’s paintings and archival materials like old notes and newspaper fragments related to the artist’s personal history, thus providing an immersive insight into her internal world while also presenting the viewers with a universally relatable narrative around ‘home’.
Flanking this focal piece are four monumental, eclectic mixed media works on canvas inspired by Salman Rushdie's ‘roots of self'—community, language, places, and customs — which are one of the key influences of the exhibition concept. Next to them, an interactive board invites inviting visitors to add their own reflections on the concept of ‘home’. These will eventually be collated and published by the artist in the form of a book, culminating in a final, collective narrative. Installed on the adjoining wall are six prints in Tribambuka’s distinctive, graphic style, effectively capturing the main narrative of the central installation in six compelling compositions.
Additionally, a limited-edition artist book made specifically for the exhibition, composed of Tribambuka's sketchbooks, writings, archival images and found materials that invite contemplation and reflecting the raw essence of the artist's studio.
Tribambuka’s "Nowhere to go but anywhere" presents a timely reflection on identity, inviting audiences to seek unity amidst shared experiences, traumas, and the universal pursuit of love and survival. Framed by opening and closing performances that formulate musical, poetic and movement-based responses to its central theme and visitor responses, the exhibition challenges perceptions, fosters introspection, and honours the enduring resilience of the human spirit in the quest for creating a 'home.
Performers include:
Kirill Burlov
Paulo Dias Duarte
J. C. Wright
Yulya Krylova
Berfin Aksu
Michelle Moran
Nowhere to Go but Anywhere
Medium: Time based media, Audio-video installation
Creation Date: March 2024
Duration: 10:45
I want people to feel like they have stepped inside my sketchbook, and in a way, my home, my inner chambers, my creative kitchen. This installation was created using a variety of different techniques and sources, such as sketches, drawings, characters adapted from my paintings and archival materials like old notes and newspaper fragments related to my personal history. At the same time it presents a universal concept of ‘home’: being at home, outgrowing and leaving it, searching for it, losing it, and finally finding it.
The spatial soundscape created by J.C. Wright weaves together multilingual voices from diverse London communities, exploring their interpretations of ‘home.’ Drawing inspiration from childhood games and protective rituals found in folklore, the house becomes a transformative space— feel free to step inside and experience whatever comes up for you.
See the full installation here
Composer: J. C. Wright
Sound design: J. C. Wright, Marcus Locock
Recording engineer: Marcus Locock
Projection mapping: Max Burstyn
Art assistant: Alberto Fossati
Photos, footage and audio courtesy:
Artist’s family archives
Alberto Baos Fossati
Nataliia Beltyukova Loribo
“The Human face Of Russia’, 1984 documentary,
National film and sound archive of Australia
‘Sounds of India’ by Vladislav Lyaschouk
Contributors:
Alberto Baos Fossati
Nataliia Beltyukova Loribo
Vladislav Lyaschouk
Tima Jam
Anna Andronova
Mikaela Calypso Dragon
Stanisla Rachkovskaya
Alexandra Mazur-Knyazeva
Victoria Egorenkova
Mahsa Karimi
Majid Hojati
Nasser Teymourpour
Azeri Aghayeva
Afshin Naghouni
Sonja Teszler
Jayshree Viswanathan
Tomaso Ascoli
Federico Casu
Francesco Nicolini
Lorella Bianco
Monique Humphreys
Christiana Hadjipapa
Fausto Borioli
Krisnatàgoras Araùjo
Fai West
Kiara Gourlay
Stephie Ronget Devred
Yvona Nov
Eva del Rio Tortosa
Performance: Kirill Burlov
Photo / video: Umberto Rozzo
Four Roots of Self
Quadriptych, four cnavses 300x100cm
Print and acrylics on canvas
2024
‘These are four roots of the self: language, place, community and custom. But in our age, the great age of migration, many of us have at least one of those roots pulled up. We move away from the place we know, away from the community that knows us, to a place where the customs are different and, perhaps, the most commonly spoken language is one we do not know, or if we speak - we speak it badly and cannot express in the subtleties what we think and who we are.
...
The migrant too is at first a tree standing without its roots, trying not to fall. Migration is an existential act, stripping us of our defences, mercilessly exposing us to a world that understands us badly,
if at all; as if the earth were stripped of its atmosphere and the sun were to bear down upon it in all
its pitiless force.”
- Salman Rushdie
‘Languages of Truth’
Photo: Toma Evsyukova
Another component of the project is a 48-page artist book, created with a little help from Tribambuka's friends and strangers who offered insights into what home is for them. This book draws inspiration from her sketchbooks, comprising drawings, printmaking experiments, photographs, and documents from the artist's family archives. It also incorporates ephemera such as letters, newspaper clippings, and train tickets that Tribambuka has amassed from the various locations where she has resided and journeyed over the years. The book is also is released as a limited edition book, which is for sale in the Migration museum and in my online shop.
Finally, there's a participatory piece - a wall inviting people to leave their notes and reflections on what Home is, that will later be released as a book.
→ Photos and footage from the opening night
→ Sign up for the mailing list to get updates about the closing night and the book release.
Thanks to Tima Jam and Blue Rhino Art Consultancy for advice and support.