#Esmaa Mohamoud

[guy60660]

©Esmaa Mohamoud | Kavi Gupta | Sandra Oviedo | Financial Times

[dead-loch]

Esmaa Mohamoud, To Play in the Face of Certain Defeat (exhibition)

"Mohamoud draws on the modern industry of professional sports, which she equates with a covert form of neo-slavery. The London, Ontario-born artist transforms athletic equipment and symbols to illustrate pervasive, discriminatory behaviours and attitudes based on race, class, gender, and sexuality. She examines collective and individual struggle, focusing on the homogenization of bodies within high-level athletics, and the enforced play out of competitive violence between Black subjects. Through sculpture, photography, video, and installation, she investigates how high-level athletics operate as sites of corporate profit and discrimination.

The dozen artworks in this exhibition consider a variety of concerns. Mohamoud’s appropriation of basketball jerseys within Victorian-era ballgowns, for example, complicates the sport’s fraught relationship with queer, gender-fluid, and female identities. Reconstructed football equipment, including branded black leather footballs and African wax-printed helmets, celebrate cultural plurality through their exuberant, diverse designs, while also protesting the staged enactment of Black violence for entertainment."

One thing that can't easily be shared but was easily my favourite piece in this exhibition was a video/projection installation titled From the Ground We Fall, which had Nina Simone's Ne Me Quitte Pas on repeat playing over it. The video is a performance set in a field, where two players (football in this case) are connected by chains and each of them are trying to run in opposite directions, meaning they continually pull each other backwards. I would go up to close out the exhibition and just stand in the small room that housed this piece, watching and listening. The projection took up 3 walls, which meant you were surrounded by the activity. (it's been a couple years and I couldn't find confirmation of the song, but I'm fairly certain it was Ne Me Quitte Pas. If you know better, lemme know and I'll edit!).

"The explicit frustration and lack of progress shown in the video expresses the ubiquitous presence of racism throughout North American society. The activity mirrors a common situation in disenfranchised communities within marginalizing systems, wherein community members are often pitted against one another."

Source: Esmaa Mohamoud | Art Gallery of Hamilton

[canadianartjunkie]

Esmaa Mohamoud - Sports, Race & Gender

[mentaltimetraveller]

Esmaa Mohamoud, Double Dribble, 2021  The Bentway (250 Fort York Blvd). Toronto

[walrusmagazine]

Artist Esmaa Mohamoud Examines How Pro Sports Profit from Black Athletes

Sports bring people together in living rooms, in crowded bars, and in the streets. Mohamoud seeks to expose the monstrous underbelly of all that winning

Mohamoud makes sculptures about athletics, about Blackness, about gender, and sometimes about the ways those things rub up against one another to produce a social problem, if not a catastrophe. The spectre of bondage is sometimes raised: she frequently uses chains in her work. With these installations, Mohamoud draws an association between athleticism and historical forms of slavery. It’s a relationship that may seem, at first, unlikely, until she begins to guide viewers through her subject. Then it’s hard to unsee.

Read more at thewalrus.ca.

Artwork by Esmaa Mohamoud (esmaamohamoud.com).

[binzento]

basketball players gender fluid “ball gowns” by african-canadian artist Esmaa Mohamoud🏀

[fastcurious]

© Esmaa Mohamoud

“My practice is unapologetically black and industrial”

[mcgiggers]

Toronto- October 2022

Just back from Hogtown and a much appreciated fully immersive in-person (protocol free!) experience at Art Toronto. Transitioning from last year’s hybrid format with only 65 on site galleries, the current edition featured 90 plus exhibitors from across Canada, the US and abroad as well as a more expansive curatorial offering of project spaces and installations. Few and far between were traces of the destabilizing pandemic. Instead, there was a palpable energy in the air as art fans seemed to make the most of the opportunity to enjoy works firsthand. Perhaps the only lingering aspect of the pandemic was the relatively subdued participation of international galleries. This however was more than offset by strong showing of predominantly Canadian galleries showcasing outstanding Canadian artists, some of whom are making impressive strides on the international scene. As always, contemporary and historic art shared the stage, yet there was a notable bias towards more recent works of established and emerging contemporary players.

Works by rockstars Manuel Mathieu and Esmaa Mohamoud figured prominently among the fair standouts. Manuel Mathieu’s “Etude sur l’anonymité”, 2022, mixed media on canvas (68 x 72 in.) showcased his fluid soul mapping style, and Esmaa Mohamoud’s “Ebony in Ivory”, 2022, shea butter, beeswax on marble plinth, edition of 5 (50 x 12 x 12 in.) took her sculptural practice and strong cultural messaging to the next level. Other highlights included: Maria Hupfield’s creatively constructed and packaged chair “Aesthetics of Care”, 2022, industrial felt, framed (51.5 x 27.5 in.); Nathan Eugene Carson’s reflective “Angel Boy I”, 2022, mixed media on paper (24 x 18 in.); Oan Kyu’s resonating calligraphic renderings “Earlier than Writing”, 2022, two ink drawings on Hanji paper (each 13.4 x 47.2 in.); Davis Nash’s eye popping colour tower “Red Stack”, 2020, stencil pastel on paper (40 x 26.5 in.); K.M. Graham’s whimsical landscape snippet  “Dorset Whiplash”, 1978-79, acrylic and pastel on canvas (14 x 22 in.); and Louise Nevelson’s monochromatic sculptural matte black box “Winter Chord”, 1975, painted wood, edition of 100 (14.5 x 9.8 x 1.5 in.).

Beyond the nourishing food for the soul at the fair, the gastronomical highlight of the trip was enjoyed in the north end of town and featured: an over-the-top homemade focaccia with impressive elevation; a delicious slow cooked contemporary take on beef stew; and, a tasty mystery ingredient (think Andy Warhol) cream cheese icing topped cake with seasonal spices.

The only low point of the Hogtown visit was the dismal performance by Dino’s on the second day of back-to-back games against the 76ers. With J-Biid sitting out game two and the opportunity to sweep the mini-series, the Dino’s had a classic let down and were totally dominated by their conference rivals. Scary Freddie (aka Steady Freddie) was zero for 11. Inexcusable but partly explainable by the lingering effects of his herculean effort to be named to the all-star team last season. While he won the accolade, it was at great physical cost, and he has not been the same since. As Freddie hopefully regroups, perhaps Coach Nurse should consider freeing up more minutes for his sparsely used bench. Even better, maybe Coach Nurse should push his positionless basketball experiment to the limit and start Deux Cuisses de Poulet Boucher in Freddie’s place for a game or two. That would be exciting basketball to watch, assuming they could get the ball up the court.

The line of the trip (“Cyndi – how are you?”) was delivered in the form of a warm greeting by Canadian mega businessman, philanthropist, collector and longstanding patron, supporter and hopefully saviour of Nos Amours. Regrettably there was no further news to report following the interaction on the prospects of reviving talks with the Rays or landing a franchise in Montreal.

 For more information on any of the artists or works mentioned and for an update on Freddie’s woes or the mystery ingredient, “Just Google It”.

There you have it sportsfans,

 MC Giggers

(www.mcgiggers.tumblr.com)

Reporter’s Certification

I, MC Giggers, hereby certify that the views expressed in this report accurately reflect my personal views and that no part of my compensation was or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific views expressed herein.

I also certify that I may or may not own, directly or indirectly, works of artists mentioned in this report and that I may or may not have a strong bias for such artists and, more generally, for “Pictures of Nothing”.

[filth-thezine]

By invoking symbols of hyper-femininity (the ball gown) and hyper-masculinity (the basketball jersey), Esmaa Mohamoud and Qendrim Hoti craft a space of gender fluidity that resists clear demarcation. With the models both adorned in gowns, displaying their backs to the cameras, there is a statement of defiance. These bodies refuse easy categorization.

"The issue that I had was that for the majority of the exhibition, the dresses would actually be vacant and without a black body," Mohamoud explains. "I think that it's really important to continue to re-insert these images of blackness in these spaces because we often get erased. If these are just here, no one's going to know that black bodies navigated these spaces. I'm going to remind people."

[nowtoronto]

This week's cover: High art meets pro sports in Esmaa Mohamoud and Brayn Espiritu's @nuitblancheto sculpture marking the Toronto Raptors 25th anniversary. Link in bio for the full story. 📸: @samuelengelking . . #nbTO19 #Toronto #publicart #nuitblanche2019 #raptors #RaptorsTwoFive — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2o1Lpub

[eileenmueller]

Esmaa Mohamoud, in collaboration w/ Qendrim Hoti. One of the boys.

Repurposed jerseys and various materials, 2017-2018.

[walrusmagazine]

Artist Esmaa Mohamoud Examines How Pro Sports Profit from Black Athletes

Sports bring people together in living rooms, in crowded bars, and in the streets. Mohamoud seeks to expose the monstrous underbelly of all that winning

Mohamoud makes sculptures about athletics, about Blackness, about gender, and sometimes about the ways those things rub up against one another to produce a social problem, if not a catastrophe. The spectre of bondage is sometimes raised: she frequently uses chains in her work. With these installations, Mohamoud draws an association between athleticism and historical forms of slavery. It’s a relationship that may seem, at first, unlikely, until she begins to guide viewers through her subject. Then it’s hard to unsee.

Read more at thewalrus.ca.

Artwork by Esmaa Mohamoud (esmaamohamoud.com).

[kmainenti]

Posted @withrepost • @workinprogress_advisory “#The World Without Us (Butterfly Dishwasher)” (2020), by Karen Mainenti @kmainenti | [11x8.5in] ✨ DM us for further details. “Sacred Pause, Sacred Fertilizer” is on view through January 4, 2023. ✨ 19 female-identifying artists share works produced during the COVID-19 pandemic + reflect on what was awakened in their practice (and within) when they ceded to what presented in the pause. ✨ Presented by Nevelson Chapel @nevelson_chapel and New York Culture Club @nyccultureclub in partnership with Midtown Arts Common. ✨ Curated by Marly Hammer @honeybadgaa + Lisa Wirth @wilsonundwirth of Work In Progress @workinprogress_advisory Featured Artists: Anna Cone @annacone / Anne Muntges @anne_muntges /Ashley Garrett @ashleygarrettny / Dina Cline @dinaalexiscline / Domenica Bucalo @domenica.bucalo / Elspeth Schulze @elspethschulze / Esmaa Mohamoud @esmaamohamoud / Hilary Doyle @hilaryldoyle / Karen Mainenti @kmainenti / Katrina Majkut @katrinamajkut / Leah Guadagnoli @lavenderladysupreme / Linda Colletta @lindacolletta / Madeline Donahue @madelinedonahue / Mara de Luca @maradelucastudio / Maria de Los Angeles @delosangelesart / Marlene Frontera @farlenemontera / Natale Adgnot @natale_adgnot / Nazanin Noroozi @nazaninnoroozi / Rachel Klinghoffer @rachelklinghoffer ✨ Location: Nevelson Chapel at Saint Peter’s Church @saintpetersnyc 619 Lexington Ave (Entrance on E 54th St) New York, NY 10022 ✨ Dates: Exhibition Viewing: September 28, 2022 - January 4, 2023 with viewing hours of Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm; and Sundays 9am-6pm ✨ Questions or interest in works should be directed to @workinprogress_advisory #womenartists #femaleartists #femaleartist #nycartists #contemporaryart #collectart #womeninthearts #artopening #collage #collageart #collageartwork #collageartist #vintagephotography (at Saint Peter's Church) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjg70jNsAuI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[auroraaboraaborealis]

Esmaa Mohamoud

[lanieart]

Albright-Knox Northland Review

Albright-Knox Northland. 612 Northland Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14211

Cultural Space: Art Museum

Self-guided experience

Exhibits: In These Truths

The Ak Northland’s current exhibit, In These Truths, is both aesthetically beautiful and immensely thought provoking as it promotes multiple messages about the black identity and experience through various works of art.  I really loved my visit to this exhibit as the artwork was visually stunning, and I was so moved by the message and intention behind the pieces of work.  Two of the pieces that left a profound impact on me were Double Dribble and Hot commodity.  Both of these artworks had an overarching message of the commodification of both the black body and black identity.  

Double Dribble  was a large scale piece that featured multiple basketball hoops with long chains hanging from them that almost touched the ground.  Without even reading the piece’s background, I understood it pertained to basketball and its relationship to black people.  Artist Esmaa Mohamoud uses this piece to illustrate the “connections between plantation slavery and the social systems that followed” which includes basketball.  She elaborates later talking about how this sport has now “come to depend on and trade in Black bodies”.  Mohamoud expertly executed her vision of this concept.  The long chains of the basketball hoops place such an emphasis on the idea of chains and how plantations have been swapped for other institutions like basketball that now rely on the commodification of black bodies.  Mohamoud’s piece provokes deep thought into these social institutions and how it affects black people.  Overall, I loved this piece for how easily the message was conveyed through the art and the level of analysis involved.

Hot commodity by Oluseye was an art installation that featured antique vending machines filled with contents that draw from the black identity including: sneakers, black-eyed peas, durags, afro picks, earrings, cotton, sugar, hair, coffee beans, and more.  This artwork again pertains to the commodification of the black body and the black identity.  By featuring physical items that are connected to black culture in vending machines, it shows how easily society draws from black culture as if it is a “vending machine” and that black culture is just a physical object to serve at society’s convenience.  While this piece featured some somewhat graphic content, I thought it promoted its message expertly and evoked both emotion and thought.

Overall, I would select Double Dribble to be featured at our college.  First being, Canisius College’s largest and most popular sport here is arguably the basketball team.  I feel like this piece would be great for promoting awareness and provoking thought amongst the student body about the black experience in America and basketball as an institution today.  Because basketball is one of the most popular sports at our school, I feel like this piece could have a very powerful impact.  Additionally, Canisius College is located in the Hamlin Park neighborhood which is predominantly black.  As a result, I feel like Canisius should feature artists that are black and representative of both its student body and the neighborhood where we reside.  This piece could also serve as a great educational tool to help educate non POC members of the student body too which would overall benefit everyone.  For those two reasons, I believe that this would be a great piece to feature at our school.