Episode 47: Painting the Revolution with SudaLove
This week on the podcast, we’re joined by the acclaimed sculptor Sokari Douglas Camp.
Sokari takes us through her remarkable journey in steel sculpture - how she discovered the medium, and how it became a powerful tool for creating monumental, research-driven, and at times, kinetic works of art.
She reflects on her early life in Rivers State, Nigeria, her adoption, and the experience of being sent to England as a young child.
We chat about a couple of her works including Battle Bus, a memorial to murdered activist Ken Saro-Wiwa which was seized upon entering Nigeria by authorities and never seen again.
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About
Sokari Douglas Camp was born in Buguma, Rivers State, Nigeria. She studied fine art at Central School of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art. Sokari has represented Britain and Nigeria in National exhibitions and has had more than 40 solo shows worldwide. In venues such as National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institute 1988-89, the Museum of Mankind, London 1994/5. Her public artworks include Battle Bus: Living Memorial for Ken Saro‐Wiwa (2006), a full-scale replica of a Nigerian steel bus, which stands as a monument to the late Niger Delta activist and writer.
Sokari works intuitively and on her own, she draws ideas and works on the scale suggested by her drawings. Works vary in size from 30cm to 5 meters and more depending on the project. She is interested in movement, clothing, Kalabari culture, theatre and the environment.
Learn more about her work:
https://sokari.co.uk/