Kambui Olujimi: Zulu Time exhibition catalog

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The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art is honored to
publish this catalogue in conjunction with Kambui Olujimi’s solo exhibition
in the museum’s State Street Gallery, from May 6 through August
13, 2017. In Kambui Olujimi: Zulu Time, the artist presents five interrelated
bodies of work, each of which offers a thoughtful examination
into the underlying structures that shape the way we understand and
experience the world and each other. From the cosmic origins of the
universe to today’s contested socio-political climate, Olujimi disrupts
the space-time continuum and asks us to consider how historic and
contemporary systems of power are deeply layered, interconnected, and
mutually reinforcing.
It is a pleasure to acknowledge the significant time and talent
Kambui Olujimi has invested to make this project a reality. It has been a
rewarding process to watch his ideas became tangible. For this exhibition,
he created all new artworks that have yielded a visually cohesive
and conceptually powerful exhibition. MMoCA is honored to showcase
his work in its galleries.
I am extremely grateful to the sponsors who have made this
important project possible. Generous funding for Kambui Olujimi: Zulu
Time has been provided by The DeAtley Family Foundation; MillerCoors;
Terry Family Foundation; WhiteFish Partners LLC; a grant from
the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and
National Endowment for the Arts; and MMoCA Volunteers.
I would like to recognize and express my gratitude to the guest
authors: Sampada Aranke, a scholar and professor in the History and
Theory of Contemporary Art at the San Francisco Art Institute, whose
essay grounds Olujimi’s work within a theoretical framework; and New-
York based art critic and curator Gregory Volk, who contributed an
insightful essay about the transformative power of the artist’s practice.
My thanks also go to Melissa Gorman for her design of the catalogue,
which seamlessly translates Olujimi’s artistic intentions into a beautiful
publication. In addition, it is a particular pleasure to thank former
MMoCA staff member Katie Kazan, who edited this publication.
I am also pleased to acknowledge the museum’s Board
of Trustees for their generous and continuing support. Finally, it is a
great pleasure to recognize the talented staff of the Madison Museum
of Contemporary Art, especially associate curator Leah Kolb, who organized
and oversaw this project, with the dedicated assistance of exhibition
manager and registrar Mel Solomon Becker; Rick Axsom, senior
curator; Brian Bartlett, technical services manager; Sheri Castelnuovo,
curator of education; Erika Monroe-Kane, director of communications;
Elizabeth Tucker, director of development; and the rest of MMoCA’s
hard-working staff.
Stephen Fleischman
Director
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