Nifemi Marcus-Bello will make a big splash at Design Miami 2023 (6 – 10 December), not only with a solo presentation of new work (previewed here) at Marta Los Angeles’ booth, but with a wall sculpture and installation to be situated at the entrance to the fair as well. The latter, which has been made possible by Hublot (Marcus-Bello was awarded the Hublot Design Prize in 2022), brings the designer’s signature approach of interrogating the relationship between Africa and the West into the spotlight for all to see.
Titled ‘Omi Iyo’, meaning ‘salt water’ in Yoruba, Marcus-Bello’s opening sculpture is conceived in response to the journey of undocumented migrants from Africa to Europe. Designed to resemble the hull of a boat, the polished stainless steel work is hollow and filled with salt, a symbol for the Atlantic Ocean, that will stream continuously to the ground out from a small aperture at the sculpture’s base for the fair’s duration. It is through the collection of salt, like the passage of time in an hourglass, that Marcus-Bello requires visitors to acknowledge the continued plight of those who risk their lives for a better future.
