Okoyomon Precious’s Eerie Art Installations -

Okoyomon Precious’s EErie Art Installations. Precious installation at the Fondation Beyeler this summer was a remarkable example of transforming outdoor spaces into immersive environments. Firstly, the greenhouse, filled with poisonous plants and fluttering butterflies, pushed the boundaries of conventional art experiences. Above all, creating a balance between beauty and danger. However, visitors were surrounded by an ecosystem that was hostile to humans but ideal for butterflies. Primarily, adding a sense of vulnerability to the experience. The animatronic teddy bear in lace underwear at the far end of the greenhouse added a surreal, eerie element. Nevertheless, unsettling and surprising those who encountered it.

The Uncanny Encounter: An Animatronic Teddy Bear

Okoyomon’s art often leans heavily on conceptual installations. Further avoiding the transportable and market-friendly objects many young artists focus on. Their work has a profound historical dimension, such as the 2022 Venice Biennale. The installation specifically linked sugarcane and other plants to the transatlantic slave trade. Even so, placing the ecology within the context of colonial exploitation. Their 2020 exhibit in Frankfurt’s Museum of Modern Art used Japanese kudzu, a plant historically introduced to combat soil erosion. More so, after the damage caused by cotton plantations, thus highlighting themes of environmental restoration and exploitation.

Okoyomon Precious's Eerie Art Installations That Reflects Colonial Legacies

Okoyomon’s diverse background shapes the global perspective in their work. To illustrate, she was born in London, spent her childhood years in Lagos, Nigeria, and later moved to Texas and Ohio. This year, they were part of Nigeria’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale and created a postapocalyptic forest in Madrid’s Parque del Retiro. Hence, showing their continued engagement with global histories, nature, and the uncanny. Their poetry, including the collections Ajebota (2016) and But Did You Die? (2024), is often integrated into their installations. Furthermore, enriching the narrative depth of their projects. Okoyomon Precious’s EErie Art Installations.