Instagram Takeover: Karl Ohiri

London based British-Nigerian artist Karl Ohiri takes over our Instagram account for a week to share his practice.

Primarily using photography, video, and everyday objects the artist uses methods of appropriation and recontextualisation to make art that comments on the social, political and the autobiographical. Personal experiences and general observations form the basis of his practice exploring themes around the notion of family, identity and popular culture.

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My Granddad's Car (2011 – 2016) is a collaborative project I embarked on with with friend and fellow artist Sayed Hasan. The premise was simple, we would each travel seperately to our late Grandfather's home countries (Nigeria and Pakistan) and attempt to bring their cars back to the UK. We wanted to park them side- by- side in our country of birth, to make a joint statement on contemporary British identity. The cars have come to represent more than the sum of their parts, taking us on an unpredictable journey that explores the notion of collective history, identity and the legacies of the diaspora. Draped in the native fabric that was given to me by my mother before my journey. The fabric would go on to become a recurring motif throughout the project. Karl Ohiri Patchwork – 2011(Granddad's House, Nigeria) #photoworks_uk #igtakeover #karlohiri #diaspora #britishidentity #migration

A post shared by Photoworks (@photoworks_uk) on Nov 29, 2019 at 9:31am PST

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My Granddad's Car (2011 – 2016) is a collaborative project I embarked on with with friend and fellow artist Sayed Hasan. The premise was simple, we would each travel seperately to our late Grandfather's home countries (Nigeria and Pakistan) and attempt to bring their cars back to the UK. We wanted to park them side- by- side in our country of birth, to make a joint statement on contemporary British identity. The cars have come to represent more than the sum of their parts, taking us on an unpredictable journey that explores the notion of collective history, identity and the legacies of the diaspora. Karl Ohiri My Granddad's Car – 2011(Nigeria) #photoworks_uk #igtakeover #karlohiri #diaspora #britishidentity #migration

A post shared by Photoworks (@photoworks_uk) on Nov 29, 2019 at 12:49am PST

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After my mother passed away I moved back into the family home. It was a bittersweet experience for me as the house we once stayed in as a family was filled with so many memories. I would reminisce about my mother cooking from the kitchen, or slowly creeping into her room at night to turn off the TV after she had fallen asleep. Such details form part of the mundane habits and routines of our loved ones that we rarely take photographs of yet become the memories that we cherish the most when they are gone. Taking on the main character in the frame in my mother’s absence, I begin to record such moments. Wearing her clothes and arranging her personal objects I reconstruct fond memories of her that were never documented. The photographic process becomes an attempt to preserve memory, inviting the viewer to question the authenticity of my recollection, performance and identity. The series forms part of a larger body of work entitled ‘Sweet Mother’ – a collection of autobiographical works that deal with the intimate emotions of coming to terms with my mothers life and death. Okra Soup, from the series, Memories of You – 2014 #photoworks_uk #igtakeover #karlohiri #sweetmother #memories #performance

A post shared by Photoworks (@photoworks_uk) on Nov 28, 2019 at 1:24am PST

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After my mother passed away I moved back into the family home. It was a bittersweet experience for me as the house we once stayed in as a family was filled with so many memories. I would reminisce about my mother cooking from the kitchen, or slowly creeping into her room at night to turn off the TV after she had fallen asleep. Such details form part of the mundane habits and routines of our loved ones that we rarely take photographs of yet become the memories that we cherish the most when they are gone. Taking on the main character in the frame in my mother’s absence, I begin to record such moments. Wearing her clothes and arranging her personal objects I reconstruct fond memories of her that were never documented. The photographic process becomes an attempt to preserve memory, inviting the viewer to question the authenticity of my recollection, performance and identity. The series forms part of a larger body of work entitled ‘Sweet Mother’ – a collection of autobiographical works that deal with the intimate emotions of coming to terms with my mothers life and death. Nollywood Nights, from the series, Memories of You – 2014 #photoworks_uk #igtakeover #karlohiri #sweetmother #memories #performance

A post shared by Photoworks (@photoworks_uk) on Nov 28, 2019 at 9:46am PST