Victoria-Idongesit Udondian Weaves the Stories of Immigrant Labor into Tapestry Sculptures
Victoria-Idongesit Udondian, installation view of “How Can I Be Nobody,” at Smack Mellon, 2022. Photo by Etienne Frossard. Courtesy of Smack Mellon.
Flanked across the concrete floor and walls of Smack Mellon’s Dumbo gallery are an assortment of black and indigo T-shirts, blazers, and other garments that form tapestries of migrant labor and bodies. The installation is part of interdisciplinary artist Victoria-Idongesit Udondian’s first major New York solo exhibition, “How Can I Be Nobody,” on view at Smack Mellon through April 10th.
In the show, Udondian constructs a site-specific installation that draws upon the former industrial history of the Brooklyn gallery space to make visible the foundational role of immigrant labor across capitalist production. Within the space, sculptures that resemble a ship’s ribs, made from metal casts of outstretched hands, intentionally evoke sea histories of sea migration and the transalantic slave trade. Udondian’s practice often incorporates repurposed materials and fabrics in this way to explore alterations in identity.
The Nigerian-born, Lagos- and Brooklyn-based artist was trained as a tailor and fashion designer before pursuing a career in art. Her artistic practice incorporates those design and garment construction skills, as she crafts sculptures and installations that weave together personal narratives that respond to capitalist oppression and immigration. Udondian, who studied painting at University of Uyo in Nigeria and earned an MFA in sculpture and new genres from Columbia University, is particularly focused on unseen labor and what is perceived as “women’s work.” She examines the roles of individuals who do domestic and textile work, as well as service industry labor.
To create the works within “How Can I Be Nobody,” Udondian reached out to various immigrant communities in Brooklyn to learn their stories. She collaborated with and compensated these women in Brooklyn, as well as Stitch Buffalo, a nonprofit space for refugee and immigrant women to develop community and create textile goods. Using both found garments and personal items, the tapestries convey a shared history through collaboration.
Victoria-Idongesit Udondian, installation view of “How Can I Be Nobody,” at Smack Mellon, 2022. Photo by Etienne Frossard. Courtesy of Smack Mellon.
The large-scale, immersive tapestry installation intentionally evokes water as a way to signal the impact migration has on one’s identity—often displacing individuals from nations and communities. Udondian also recognizes the psychological impact of migration through a series of audio recordings of the immigrant women she collaborated with, as they recall their firsthand experiences with migration. These recordings play throughout the gallery space, allowing for both the physical labor and the voices of these women to be present.
The installation also extends to performance. On April 9th, Udondian will mount Nsi nam mi ke ndi owo (2022), which is also inspired by the stories of the immigrant communities that she worked with. The piece is a collaboration with choreographer Danion Lewis and dancer Raven McRae, who will wear costumes that Udondian designed. The performance, like Udondian’s practice, works to make overlooked communities and their shared histories across time and space visible to a larger audience.
