Victoria Udondian (b.1982) Nigeria.
Udondian’s work is driven by her interest in textiles and the potential for clothing to shape identity, informed by the histories and tacit meanings embedded in everyday materials. She creates work that questions notions of cultural identity and post-colonial positions in relation to her experiences growing up in Nigeria.
Exhibitions include the inaugural Nigerian Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennial, Fisher Landau Centre for the Arts, New York, The Bronx Museum, New York, The Children Museum of Manhattan, New York, National Museum, Lagos, Whitworth Gallery, Manchester.
Residencies include, Instituto Sacatar, Bahia, Brazil, Mass Moca, Massachusetts, USA, Fine Arts Work Centre (FAWC), Provincetown, USA, Villa Strauli, Winthethur, Switzerland, Fondazione di Venezia, Venice, Italy and Bag Factory Studios, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Udondian has an MFA in Sculpture and New Genres from Columbia University, New York and a BA in painting from the University of Uyo, Nigeria. She was a Guggenheim Fellow in 2020 and is currently a Visiting Associate Professor of Art at the University at Buffalo, New York.
Ofong Ufok was developed by the artist with immigrant communities in New York, notably Stitch Buffalo, a textile centre located near the artist’s studio, that empowers refugee and immigrant women by giving them opportunities to create handcrafted goods and gain independence.
Victoria collaborated closely with community members, ensuring they were fairly compensated for their contributions. Each piece of clothing holds a unique tale, allowing the participants’ stories to become a part of the artwork. Victoria says, “I was interested in questioning notions of labour, and the role of immigrants in labour productivity. The piece took us about 3000 hours to produce across the period of 5 – 6 months. Working with used clothes was also significant as I began to consider how fast fashion is produced mostly in the global south under repressive conditions. These clothes end up in landfills, having a huge impact on the environment.” Coming from Nigeria, Victoria has seen that impact at first hand in the many used clothing markets and landfill dumps.
Ofong Ufok was developed by the artist with immigrant communities in New York, notably Stitch Buffalo, a textile centre located near the artist’s studio, that empowers refugee and immigrant women by giving them opportunities to create handcrafted goods and gain independence.