A Conversation with Tiona Nekkia McClodden | Whitney Museum of American Art

For this program, 2019 Bucksbaum Award winner Tiona Nekkia McClodden discusses her artistic practice at the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and social commentary alongside curator Oluremi C. Onabanjo. The Bucksbaum Award is given in each Biennial year to one of the participating artists whose work demonstrates a singular combination of talent and imagination. McClodden’s contribution to the 2019 Biennial, I prayed to the wrong god for you, combines video and sculptural elements in a highly personal ritual dedicated to Shango, a deity or Orisha within the Afro-Cuban religion Santería/Lucumí, whose origins can be traced to the Yoruba people of Nigeria. Curator Ladi’Sasha Jones introduces McClodden and her interdisciplinary practice spanning documentary film, experimental video, sculpture, and sound installation.

Oluremi C. Onabanjo is a curator and scholar of photography and the arts of Africa based in New York City. The former Director of Exhibitions and Collections for The Walther Collection, she has organized exhibitions in Europe, North America, and Africa.

Ladi'Sasha Jones is a writer and curator based in Harlem. She has written for Aperture, Arts.Black, Avery Review, Temporary Art Review, and Recess, among others. Currently, Jones is the artist engagement manager for The Laundromat Project.