Tito Aderemi-Ibitiola, Wash Me Clean Until I Am Whole Once Again, performance details, courtesy of the artist 2017.
Born Lagos, Nigeria (1993), lives and works in Nigeria
Wash Me Clean Until I am Whole Once Again 2017
performance, black soap, camwood shavings, water, white wrapper dress with train and white tarpaulin
Tenderize-Her 2017
performance, cowry shells, hibiscus leafs, large knife, water, white body paint, white dress, white fabric, woven sack and rope
Courtesy of the artist
Wash Me Clean Until I am Whole Once Again
In this performance, the artist Tito Aderemi-Ibitola creates a human effigy from black soap. She prepares the body with camwood (Osun) which is traditionally used topically for skin care. After the sculpture is complete, she lays with the body and kisses it. The weight of the affection flattens the effigy. Water is dowsed on the flattened body in order to restore and mend it. The water mends but erodes and weakens the body. The body it coagulates; the water causes the Osun to change phases and bleed. More water is retrieved to clean the stains and restore the body. The corrosion continues. The mending, cleaning and reparative gestures are repeated until there is nothing left of the original black body; only the creator among the excrements.
Tenderize-Her
The artist hoists a bleeding sack of hibiscus leaves over her shoulder. She wears a white dress, her face is marked and her hair bound into horns; she is a cow. She carries her body to the sight of the slaughter. She hangs it from a tree and binds her hands. She begins to beat the sack. Once she is finished she washes the sack and begins to cut it open. Its contents spew to the floor. She searchers the innards for hidden treasure. She retrieves it, cleans it and carries it with her leaving the rest of the content on the ground to rot.
