EVAN IFEKOYA
29.1. – 1.5.22

The London-based artist and energy worker Evan Ifekoya presents their first solo exhibition in Switzerland at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst. ~ Resonant Frequencies is an immersive sound installation that transforms the ground floor of the museum into a multisensory environment for exploring the divine within us. Sound plays a central role in Ifekoya’s practice, stemming from a desire to examine being and knowing inside and outside of visual perception.

When entering the museum, we come across the first ‘portal unit’, a space for individual and collective encounter, that is at the same time a refuge for visitors. Through the central sun – a sound and sculptural object – we hear the voice of Oceanic Sage (the artist’s pseudonym). The sun, which in some cultures is considered as divinity itself, functions as an orientation or perspective that acknowledges that our bodies, minds, and spirits are intertwined.

In each of the portal units we are introduced to a sound composition that creates a vibration within us. In effect, our bodies become an instrument. The durational sound composition, with contributions from Ifekoya and five collaborators – Alero, Rahima Gambo, Maïa Nunes, Clay Chénière (a.k.a. chaos clay) and MINQ –examines the knowing that emerges in community. Intentionally prioritising the reality of those who have historically and systematically been excluded from sacred spaces, Ifekoya works with ‘Solfeggio frequencies’ – vibrations that are believed to help us find balance and harmony and provide resonating healing properties for mind and body. The experience of sound, silence and listening enables altered states of consciousness.

A guiding question for the artist is how do we learn to listen to resonance? And how might these practices of attuning to our resonant frequencies connect us to our inner light beyond the darkness? Ifekoya’s work is informed by wisdom keepers inside and outside of Indigenous traditions and practices, with the elevation of Black and queer consciousness in mind. Through multiple forms of embodied, ancestral, and spiritual practices, with a particular focus on the use of drums, the artist investigates what it means to make a way of life, despite living under constant state violence. The artist practices sound healing as a divine inheritance through an exploration into resonant frequencies, and invites you to you to discover yourself.

Curator: Dr. Michael Birchall (Curator, Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst)

Curatorial assistant: Lucas Hagin (Trainee, Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst)

An accompanying publication designed by Studio Marie Lusa with essays by Kojo Abudu, Michael Birchall, Evan Ifekoya and Grace Ndiritu will be published by Scheidegger & Spiess in March 2022.