Shipped And Sold
Over the course of two years, Nigerian-American artist Chidinma Dureke collected and considered everyday canned food items—each a familiar emblem of her Trans-Atlantic upbringing. These objects are mass-produced, mass-consumed, and eventually disposable. They are seemingly simple and mundane, yet provide a profoundly personalized lens through which Dureke asks a universal question: What is the value of the Black body?
From the history and legacy of American slavery to the continued exploitation of Blackness in today’s capitalistic culture, Shipped & Sold uses the motif of prepackaged goods to explore overarching themes of commodification and consumption. Drawing upon her own cross-cultural experience and identity, Dureke puts a fresh spin on the Pop Art aesthetic through a diverse selection of conversation-starting portraits and interactive sculptures.