Nicole Awai: In the thick of it
Nicole Awai, The Spirit of Persistent Resistance of the Liquid Land, 2018. Nail polish, resin, ink, graphite, and paper collage on inkjet print, 11 x 17 in.
Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Mark Doroba © Nicole Awai
September 20 – December 7, 2024
In the thick of it highlights how Trinidad-born artist Nicole Awai deploys the concept of “the ooze” as both material and metaphor in her mixed-media work. Using viscous materials, such as synthetic polymers, that seem perpetually in flux, she evokes the fluidity and complexity of cultural, historical, and personal identities and narratives. Awai’s practice “overflows” traditional boundaries as it often interweaves elements from her Caribbean heritage with broader themes of globalization and diaspora. The exhibition’s title, In the thick of it, also references the artist’s experiential knowledge of and engagement with sites of confluence where diverse elements merge and interact in unpredictable ways. This dynamic interplay forms the cornerstone of Awai’s art, making it pivotal to contemporary discussions about materiality and cultural synthesis.
The concept of confluence is central to Awai’s practice, in which the ooze acts as metaphorical and literal sites of merging. In Spirit of Persistent Resistance of the Liquid Land (2018), Awai entangles Civil War monuments and Trinidadian folklore. The work references plinths on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin, upon which statues of Confederate figures once stood, and the sculptural group The Navy: American Sailors at Sea, Urged On by the Genius of Patriotism, part of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch at Grand Army Plaza, in Brooklyn, New York. The latter work features an armed, bare-chested Black Union soldier kneeling next to a canon. Awai combines motifs from these monuments with imagery from Trinidadian Amerindian folklore about La Brea Pitch Lake, the world’s largest natural deposit of asphalt. In Awai’s work, a composite of the winged Black soldier floating on tarry ooze spilling from the plinth offers an alternative to the Confederate monuments that had been recently removed from UT. As Awai has put it, the winged figure “could alight anywhere and activate and occupy any of the recently divested plinths.” This work, like many others in the exhibition, challenges static notions of history and culture, presenting them instead as fluid, dynamic processes.
Awai’s innovative use of the ooze as material and metaphor invites us to re-examine how we perceive and interact with history. It also encourages us to consider the beauty and complexity that arise from the interaction of diverse influences, ultimately fostering a more inclusive understanding of cultural identity. By foregrounding the transformative potential of the ooze, In the thick of it highlights the ever-changing nature of personal and collective histories and emphasizes the importance of embracing hybridity in a globalized world.
Phillip A. Townsend, PhD, Curator of Art