Evan Ifekoya

The first major book on the art of Evan Ifekoya.

Evan Ifekoya is an artist and energy worker who, through sound, text, video, and performance, and places demands on existing systems and institutions of power in order to re-centre and prioritise the experiences and voices of those previously marginalised. Their practice considers art as a site where resources can be both redistributed and renegotiated, whilst challenging the implicit rules and hierarchies of public and social spaces.

In an exhibition at Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst in spring 2022, Ifekoya explores a cosmology of healing through sound, stillness, and the creation of intentional space - a site for reflection and contemplation as part of a large installation inside the museum. Through investigations with sonic and visual artists as well as instrument-makers, the show focuses on self-care and healing. It also showcases Ifekoya's ongoing investigation into the somatic experience of listening, the healing potential of sound, and the spiritual dimension of sexuality.

This book, published in conjunction with the exhibition, features contributions from artists, curators and writers, and by Ifekoya themselves. In an interview with the critic and researcher Kojo Abudu, the artist reflects on their journey to producing sound-led work, and their recent exploration of drumming and object making.

Text in English and German.

About the Author

Michael Birchall is an art historian and a curator at Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst in Zurich since 2020. Prior to this he has been curator of public practice at Tate Liverpool and a senior lecturer at the Liverpool School of Art and Design 2016–20. He previously held curatorial appointments at museums in Canada and Germany and has lectured at Zurich University of the Arts 2012–15.

40 colour illustrations