CONTEMPORARY PROJECT
Kambui Olujimi: Zulu Time
OPENS
January 26, 2019
CLOSES
July 14, 2019
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About the Exhibit
The Blanton Museum of Art presents a solo exhibition of new work by Kambui Olujimi, a Brooklyn native whose multi-disciplinary practice calls attention to the assumptions that underlie our understanding of the world at large. In Kambui Olujimi: Zulu Time, the artist explores, among other concerns, the interlocking systems of power and invisible hierarchies that impact our daily lives. Mobilizing a broad range of artistic mediums and approaches, from glass blowing to wheat pasting, Olujimi paves the way for us to engage in an open dialogue about how we see and experience the world and each other.
Time itself manifests as the most invisible yet pervasive force in this exhibition, as implied by the show’s title. “Zulu Time” is the short-hand term for the world’s standardized mode of tracking time. Specifically, it references the time at the prime meridian (longitude 0 degrees)—the invisible and ultimately arbitrary line from which all global time zones are calculated. Since Great Britain was the world’s foremost maritime power when the concept of latitude and longitude originated, the starting point for designating longitude is based on the location of the British Naval Observatory in Greenwich, England. Thus, Zulu Time literally revolves around Western norms for structuring a day. Olujimi reframes the notion of universal time as an intangible yet ever-present expression of dominance and an imposition of control—a residue of Empire. On view January 26 through July 14, 2019, Kambui Olujimi: Zulu Time will offer Blanton visitors an opportunity to consider these timely concepts through the artist’s compelling two-dimensional and sculptural work.
This exhibition originated at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) in Madison, Wisconsin.
Installation Photography
Artist Talk: Kambui Olujimi
Join us for this special opportunity to hear more from the artist. Olujimi will discuss his work with our curator, Carter E. Foster, on May 10, 2019, at 12pm.
Exhibition Catalogue
Kambui Olujimi: Zulu Time is accompanied by a fully illustrated exhibition catalogue with essays by Sampada Aranke, Gregory Volk, and Leah Kolb, and designed by Melissa Gorman. A permanent document of the exhibition, this catalogue also contributes critical scholarship to Olujimi’s body of work.
The catalogue is available for purchase in our Museum Shop.
Credits
This exhibition was organized by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Generous funding for the exhibition is provided by The DeAtley Family Foundation, MillerCoors, The Terry Family Foundation, and WhiteFish Partners LLC.
Major funding for the Contemporary Project is provided by Suzanne McFayden.
The Contemporary Project is organized by the Blanton Museum of Art.
Image Credit
Kambui Olujimi, Fathom, 2017
Installation with six chandeliers, rubber inner tubes, and wooden pallets,
dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist
© Kambui Olujimi