Okrika Bale
2011
Series of 5 sculptures Second-hand clothes, ropes
Variable dimensions

The sculptural series Okrika Bale is the result of a survey conducted in collaboration with the Association San Vincenzo Ca’ Letizia, the Mestre chapter of the St Vincent de Paul Society Charities, an international lay Catholic organization dedicated to assisting those in need through the invaluable contribution of a large group of volunteers. During my residency in Venice, with their support,I had the opportunity to study the process of collection and export of used clothing from Italy to the African continent.

Some of these used clothes have been integrated into the sculptures, which deliberately take the form of “okrika” bales, the typical form in which the packaged clothing arrives for sale on the Nigerian market. The sculptures show the paradox of a shipment, which begins with an act of charity, but, while in transit, often gives in to the dynamics of an uncontrollable monetary exchange.