Tiona Nekkia McClodden on Spirituality, Ritual, and the Whitney Biennial
Tiona Nekkia McClodden, an artist and curator, discusses her practice rooted in Santería and her work "I prayed to the wrong god for you" at the 2019 Whitney Biennial, for which she won the Bucksbaum Award. Initiated as a priestess of Ogun in 2012, she explores gender, sexuality, and re-memory across the African Diaspora. The interview with Adjoa Armah, published by Afterall on March 5, 2020, covers her spiritual duties, the use of consecrated tools, and her desire to frustrate easy access to her work. She co-curated exhibitions on Julius Eastman (2017–2018) and Robert Mapplethorpe (2019). McClodden emphasizes the importance of Black density and community, and her filmmaking background informs her multi-channel installations with non-consensual sound.
Key facts
- Tiona Nekkia McClodden won the Bucksbaum Award at the 2019 Whitney Biennial for 'I prayed to the wrong god for you'.
- She was initiated as a priestess of Ogun in Santería in 2012.
- The work features consecrated wooden tools produced under the directive of the Yorùbá deity Shango.
- McClodden co-curated 'Recollection . + Predicated.' on Julius Eastman in 2017–2018.
- She co-curated 'There Are No Shadows Here: The Perfect Moment at 30' on Robert Mapplethorpe in 2019.
- The interview was conducted by Adjoa Armah and published by Afterall on March 5, 2020.
- McClodden describes her practice as exploring gender, sexuality, spiritual practice, and re-memory across the African Diaspora.
- She aims to create work that defies easy interpretation and demands labor from the audience and institution.
Entities
Artists
- Tiona Nekkia McClodden
- Adjoa Armah
- Julius Eastman
- Robert Mapplethorpe
- Shango
- Ogun
Institutions
- Afterall
- Whitney Biennial
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Bowerbird
- The Kitchen
- Washington Project for the Arts
Locations
- Philadelphia
- New York
- United States
- American South
Sources
- Afterall —