STUDIO MANAGER PICKS EDITION I: “A RE-EDUCATION” BY ABI SALAMI
Welcome to Studio Manager Picks Edition I. I am Kemi Akinmboni, Studio Manager at Abi Salami Studio, and each week I will be featuring a work by Abi that speaks to me and gives you a deeper dive into the meaning behind the piece. Hopefully, you will enjoy this new edition as much as we did creating it!
A Re-Education, acrylic paint on canvas, 24 x 24 inches, 2022, $4000
For this week’s Studio Manager Pick, I have selected “A Re-Education”. The first time I saw this piece, I connected with it immediately and was intrigued by the strong use of symbolism from the slightly unsettling smiles of the blonde Barbies to the superimposed head of a Benin Bronze statue looking defiantly at the viewer. It is clear that Salami is making a strong statement about societal beauty standards and her personal experiences. Keep reading to learn what Abi had to say about “A Re-Education”
Abi Salami with her little sister (circa 1990)
“As a young girl growing up in Nigeria, I remember idolizing white dolls - white, blonde, blue eyed. Like many young girls, I believed that this idealized Euro-centric image represented true beauty. It didn't help that there was such a a lack of representation for women who looked like me being seen as beautiful. Sexual, yes, but not like a beauty that needs to be protected.
Then, a couple of year ago, I discovered the Benin Bronze statues that had been stolen from Yoruba people by the colonizers and was immediately shocked by how much of myself I saw in them. It turns out that these beautiful, intricate sculptures were created using techniques that originated in Nigeria. This realization rocked the foundation of my core knowledge about myself and my heritage. I have been educated in a colonial, white supremacist educational system that stopped just short of saying Africans in no way contributed to the advancement of humanity. Upon realizing this deliberate mis-education, I decided I needed a re-education that told the silenced history of my ancestors.” - Abi Salami
Ife head: Brass head of a ruler, 1300–1450, brass, made in Ife (© Trustees of the British Museum)
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