EVELYN MTIKA: Chasing Echoes
Clay Art Center Gallery, June 22 - Aug 03, 2024
(Rittenberg Artist-in-Residence) Evelyn Mtika has been working with clay for just shy of 3 years. Her work includes portraiture, figures, text, and is focused on exploring intertwined cultural connections and differences. She often pulls her inspiration from different aspects of her own background, having grown up within the crossroads of intersectionality - between a Black and African diasporic household and as the oldest and only daughter. She is currently a resident at Clay Art Center. She received her BFA from University of Hartford with a focus in ceramics and painting.
Artist Statement
“Chasing Echoes captures my deep desire to know my predecessors - specifically other black artists who were part of art history but were disregarded as unimportant or simply had their stories untold. Just as it is sometimes difficult to find the original source of an echo, it has been difficult for me to get access to the history of other black ceramic artists. Despite that, the echoes of those artists still have an impact on my work.
My body of work is related to my understanding of how I navigate the world, holding myself to the close connections I make with my family and friends, while also defining my experience of living within the Black and African diaspora and as a Woman. Through my work, I contemplate the nature of growing into my identity as well as the struggle of bridging myself to others.”
Watch a short video of Evelyn Mtika speaking about “Chasing Echoes”.
