"The Weight of Scars" Otobong Nkanga, 2015

This set of four woven tapestries was created after the artist visited the Namibia mines. After witnessing the disastrous aftermath from the heavy extraction in the area, she was inspired to create a piece that draws attention to the consequences of such heavy extraction, both on the land itself and on the people’s bodies, minds, and emotions. Her work serves as a reminder that it was the aggressive mining techniques of the German colonizers that sparked the disastrous effects, showcasing how external forces can act as invasive species and leave scars strewn across entire communities.