ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Ranti Bam's 'Sacred Groves' at South London Gallery

exhibition · 2026-05-03

This summer, Ranti Bam, a British Nigerian artist born in Lagos in 1982, showcases her solo exhibition titled 'Sacred Groves' at the Fire Station galleries of the South London Gallery. The exhibition highlights her most extensive works thus far: large stoneware sculptures from the Ifas series, adorned with a metallic glaze that mirrors the human form. Bam crafts these vessels by pressing wet clay against her body, allowing for natural collapse, cracks, and folds. Her ceramic artistry also encompasses Abstract Vessels. She perceives clay as a form of communication and a tool for divination, aligning her creations with ritualistic or ancestral vessel-making. The exhibition encompasses various mediums, including sculpture, performance, film, and photography.

Key facts

  • Ranti Bam is a British Nigerian artist born in 1982 in Lagos.
  • The exhibition 'Sacred Groves' is held at South London Gallery's Fire Station galleries.
  • The show takes place this summer.
  • Bam's ceramic practice includes Ifas and Abstract Vessels.
  • Ifas are large stoneware sculptures made by embracing wet clay against the body.
  • The new sculptures are Bam's largest works to date.
  • The sculptures are finished with a metallic glaze that reflects the body.
  • Bam views clay as a language and divining tool.

Entities

Artists

  • Ranti Bam

Institutions

  • South London Gallery

Locations

  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • Lagos
  • Nigeria

Sources