Wooden African sculptures meet neon orange basketball rims. Graphic tees referencing American hip hop culture meet altars filled with incense. Images of still lifes are reimagined with a solid bright background and objects that speak to the African diaspora. These are all aesthetic examples of the range and breadth that multidisciplinary artist Awol Erizku’s artistic practice encompasses.

Erizku creates work that counters the narrative of the historically Westernised dialogue related to African and African American culture. Referencing art history, hip hop, and spirituality, Erikzu’s sculptural installations, photography, and video recontextualise canonical Western artworks and concepts with assemblages, aesthetics, objects, music, and prose sourced from his Ethiopian roots, African American culture, and everyday objects. These confrontations through Erizku’s work have resulted in the cultivation of a visual lexicon that provided a new perspective on the public’s understanding of history, image production, and creative output from the African diaspora.

Affinity I, 2019-2020
Digital photograph
Digital print on vinyl sticker
Dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist
Produced by the Athens Biennale

Asiatic Lilies, 2017
Digital photograph
Digital print on vinyl sticker
Dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist
Produced by the Athens Biennale

Black Fire, 2019
Digital photograph
Digital print on vinyl sticker
Dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist
Produced by the Athens Biennale

Blessing Loom, 2020-2021
Digital photograph
Digital print on vinyl sticker
Dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist
Produced by the Athens Biennale

Malcolm x Freestyle, 2019-2020
Digital photograph
Digital print on vinyl sticker
Dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist
Produced by the Athens Biennale