Ofong Ufok
2019-2022
Installation: Large hand-woven textiles, Second-hand clothes, repurposed textiles, rope, Dye
Dimension variable

Ofong Ufok is part of a larger body of work exploring the role of immigrant labor within capitalist labor market system, where labor is exploited for capital gains. Ofong Ufok uses second-hand materials woven and stitched together by the artist and the local immigrant community in Buffalo, NY. Udondian collaborated with the organization Stitch Buffalo who operate a refugee integration program for immigrant women. The artwork was inspired by the 1910 garment workers strike in Chicago, which lasted until 1911. Fueled by tensions related to low wages, irregular work shifts and hazardous working conditions, the concessions gained from the strike did not impact or transform global systems of production. As such, the textile represents a weaving of global narratives from immigrant communities whose labor continues to be exploited by capitalism. Working with second-hand clothes is also significant as she begins to consider how fast fashion is produced mostly in the global south under repressive conditions. These clothes end up in landfills in Africa, having a huge impact on the environment and cultural Identity. Udondian examines the intersectionality between immigration, labor, and global trade systems, and raises questions about our postcolonial condition.