babhi–bεrat 21r

Em'kal Eyongakpa received a grant for the further development of an existing work titled babhi–bεrat 21r. In the framework of the Luleåbiennalen in Sweden, Em’kal presents a commissioned work initiating a dialogue between South-East Nigeria and Boden. Em’kals immersive installation composed of ammunition boxes transformed into pulsating platforms displayed in the basement of Havremagasinet, resignifies the basement of Havremagasinet into a refuge akin to a cave. It weaves and amplifies the underground stories of both regions through collected items including typewriters, military helmets, and other objects, and sounds coming from iron, water, and wind harvested from both Boden and South East Nigeria. Using the 26-28 seconds pulse from the bight of Bonny, in the Gulf of Guinea – a pulse that reverberates around the world on an average of 26-28 seconds – the work is a polyrhythmic and polyphonic sculpture referring to the context of “foreigners not welcome”, a recognizable sentence that we can still see at the entrance of the military fortress.

Em'kal is a visual artist based in Amsterdam who approaches the experienced, the unknown, as well as collective histories through a ritual use of repetition and transformation. His ideas increasingly draw from indigenous knowledge systems, ethnobotany, applied mycology and technology. His installations are often interwoven experiences which blur the boundaries of the media employed. Em'kal holds degrees in botany and ecology from the University of Yaoundé and was a resident at Rijksakademie Van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. His works have been included in biennials such as the Ijssel Biennial, NL (2023), 39th EVA international biennial, IE (2021), 32nd Bienal de São Paulo, BR (2016).