RANTI BAM - HOW DO WE HOLD OUR STORIES

Andréhn-Schiptjenko is pleased to present How do we hold our stories? by British-Nigerian artist Ranti Bam. Previously part of the group show malleable/alléatoire (2023), curated by Chloé Bonnie-More, this marks Bam's first solo exhibition at the gallery. The exhibition features new Ifa sculptures alongside pieces from her Abstract Vessels series. The opening, attended by the artist, will be on 5 September from 6-9 pm, and the exhibition will run through 12 October 2024.

 

The title How do we hold our stories? reflects Bam's deep interest in language. She explores the feminine semiotics of intimacy, care, and vulnerability, crucial for rethinking our relationship with nature and dismantling ideological constructs. Bam uses clay as an avatar to explore themes of collective bodies, connectivity, and the multiple significations of water.

 

For Bam, clay is a living material that ties all beings to the earth. This concept is embodied in her ongoing Ifa series, named after the Yoruba words "ifá" (divination) and "I-fàá" (to pull close). Each piece channels a profound connection to self and place, transcending language to touch the ineffable realms of energetic and material existence. The Ifas are formed by Bam physically embracing the clay before firing, resulting in dips and folds that give each sculpture a bodily presence, further emphasized by their placement on wooden, plinth-like stools.

 

Her Abstract Vessels are defined by this same care and tenderness. Each sculpture is crafted from embellished slabs, painted or mono-printed with pigmented slips before being assembled into delicate, oblong forms. The exterior of each piece is unglazed, highlighting delicate cracked surfaces achieved by exploring the limits of the clay by rolling the unreinforced slabs as thinly as possible and firing the vessels past their prescribed temperature. In contrast, the inside of each form is glazed, embodying the idea of the anima as a luminous, reflective interiority.

 

Bam describes her sculptures as hearths—places of communal nourishment, holding spiritual and physical sustenance. Through her vessels, Bam creates microcosms that investigate relationships, material limitations, and broader themes of freedom and containment. Her practice extends beyond ceramics to include film and photography, both of which will be featured in this exhibition.

Ranti Bam (b. 1982, Lagos, Nigeria) received her MA from The Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design and a diploma in ceramics from City Lit, London. In 2023, Bam was commissioned to produce a series of Ifas for the Liverpool Biennial in the United Kingdom.  She recently had a solo exhibition, Anima, at the James Cohan Gallery, New York and her work has been featured in group exhibitions such as Insistent Presence: Contemporary African Art from the Chazen Collection (2023) Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, Wisconsin, and Hard/Soft: Textiles and Ceramics in Contemporary Art (2023), Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria.

 

Bam’s work is represented in the public collections of the Brooklyn Museum, New York; Contemporary Art Society, London; Chazen Museum of Arts, Wisconsin; High Museum, Atlanta; Victoria & Albert Museum, London, the Princeton University Museum and the Fondation Thalie.

 

Bam will have a residency at Black Rock Senegal in early 2025.