Jerry Buhari, Aftermath, installation view, Eva Maria Ocherbauer 2017.
Born Awaya, Kaduna State, Nigeria (1959), lives and works in Nigeria
Aftermath 2017
installation-performance, tree roots, sliced pieces of wood, black paint, seven axes, fire extinguishers
Courtesy of the artist
Aftermath consists of pieces of tree roots, sliced pieces of wood, all painted in matt black, seven axes and fire extinguishers displayed on a floor space of approximately 750 square meters. The space is supposed to suggest a street. It is accompanied by a five-minute silent performance by the artist.
The installation-performance is an attempt to reconstruct the aftermath of a typical bomb blast scene of North-Eastern Nigeria in an arena populated by humans and their belongings. The elements used are symbolic of scattered, mangled human bodies, hatred, intolerance and temperance. The scene is suggestive of the consequences of our destructive human actions. The performance is a silent meditative prayer of cleansing, healing and peaceful closure.
