October 2021

Houston, TX - Mitochondria Gallery specializes in artworks from emerging and established artists from Africa and the African diaspora, with a mission to educate, and expand the public awareness of contemporary African art. We present a duo exhibition titled, “The Line Between.”

Mitochondria Gallery is proud to present “The Line Between”, this exhibition features new works by Mamus Esiebo (Lagos, Nigeria) and Nedia Were (Nairobi, Kenya). Both visual artists present works in form of figurative or portraiture that adopt the vivid, energetic, mundane, and beautiful interactions they observe within the ecosystem of the respective cities in which they reside.

Mamus deconstructs his colorful experiences of the big city life in Lagos, Nigeria, where he transforms the lack of work-life balance, family expectations, and the pursuit of self-identification into an idyllic setting. The subjects in his works are placed in scenes that depict a balance of vital energy. His signature use of pin stripe and bold colors are employed to depict clothing on his figurines, and on surfaces of objects placed in the scene. He captures the gaze shared between lovers in the moments before the onset of a romantic getaway where anticipation and thrill are at a fever pitch. He also explores, the peace of sharing a public swimming pool with no strangers, just a familiar face, and a drink in hand. Mamus also explores the minutiae of interactions in our safe space.

Nedia presents a new body of work that is a documentation of people he interacts with daily in Nairobi, Kenya. The stories told by Nedia in this series harbor around the portrayal of individuals with darker skin tones across the media and the lack of positive representation. These works further amplify the message of self-love, acceptance, and the trauma’s associated with living in a globalized world that has marginalized humans based on skin color.  These portraitures of black girls and black boys immortalized by Nedia depict the glow, and vibrancy of dark skin tones as they elegantly absorb and reflect light across their faces. The gaze from his subjects transports the viewer into a time capsule from Nairobi, where the viewer wanders into a conversation with the subject.    

Opening Date: October 15th 2021. 5:00 pm to 9:00 PM. October 16th 2021. 10:00 am to 6:00 PM

Address: 2101 Winter Street, Houston, TX. 77077.