Otobong Nkanga - Luster and Lucre - Sternberg Press 2017

Edited by Claire Molloy, Philippe Pirotte and Fabian Schöneich.

Texts by Natasha Ginwala, Clare Molloy, Otobong Nkanga,  Philippe Pirotte, Fabian Schöneich, Denise Ferreira Da Silva

As the artist’s first monograph, Luster and Lucre, charts an intensely productive period from 2013 to 2016, which includes exhibitions at the 8th Berlin Biennale; Portikus, Frankfurt am Main; KADIST, Paris; and M HKA, Antwerp. Its title encapsulates the complex concerns that underpin these shows: “luster,” the illustrious shining of materials; and “lucre,” profits and gains. With the mineral mica as her starting point, Nkanga’s research took her to different archives and led her along a colonial railroad in Namibia to the historic Tsumeb mine.