The Nasher Prize Graduate Symposium–dedicated to the work of Nkanga–will take place virtually from February 27–March 1, 2024. The multi-day event will address a broad audience of art historians and museum professionals, allowing symposium participants to receive feedback from fellow presenters, the moderator, the keynote speaker, and audience members. This year’s symposium will be moderated by Trey Burns, artist and writer, co-founder of Sweet Pass Sculpture Park, and Professor of Art at University of North Texas.
About Otobong Nkanga
Born in 1974 in Kano, Nigeria, Otobong Nkanga lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium. She has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Frist Art Museum, Nashville (2023); Sint-Janshospitaal, Bruges (2022); Kunsthaus Bregenz, Bregenz (2021); Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, Turin (2021); Villa Arson, Nice (2021); Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Sandvika (2020);? Gropius Bau, Berlin (2020); Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (2020); Tate St Ives (2019); Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town (2019); Ar/ge kunst Galleria Museo, Bolzano (2018); Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (2018); Kunsthal Aarhus (2017); Nottingham Contemporary (2016); Beirut Art Center (2016); Tate Modern, London (2015); Museum Folkwang, Essen (2015); Stedelijk Museum Schiedam (2015); Portikus, Frankfurt (2015), Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (2015); Kadist Art Foundation, Paris (2015). Her work has been prominently featured in international biennials, including the 58th Venice Biennale (2019);?documenta 14 (2017); and the 13th Biennale de Lyon (2015).
Nkanga was the recipient of the inaugural Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award Programme (2019); the Special Mention Award at the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Italy (2019); the Belgium Art Prize (2017); and the Yanghyun Prize (2015). Her works are held in institutional collections including Foundation Beyeler, Basel; Museum Brugge, Bruges; Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterloo; Art Gallery of Ontario; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Tate Modern, London; Museum voor Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen; Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Turin; Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam; Museum Arnhem; Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki; Studio Museum in Harlem, New York; Weltkulturen Museum, Frankfurt; Nevada Museum of Art, Reno; Queensland Art Gallery; Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven; Mu.ZEE Oostende; Centre National de Arts Plastiques, Paris; and Museum Folkwang, Essen.
About Moderator Trey Burns
Trey Burns is an artist, writer, and educator currently working in the New Media department at the University of North Texas. Since 2018, he has been co-director of Sweet Pass Sculpture Park, a non-profit arts organization that provides space and support for experimental and large-scale outdoor works by emerging voices. In 2023, Sweet Pass received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for the alternative education and exhibition program Sculpture School, which invites artists to look more deeply at place. Burns has shown his work both domestically and internationally, including Pavillion Vendôme (Clichy-la-Garenne, France), Ecole Nationale d’Architecture Paris, Malaquais Gallery (Paris, France), Wassaic Projects (Wassaic, NY), Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX), Wells College (Aurora, NY), et al Projects (Brooklyn, NY), and upcoming at the Nasher Sculpture Center (Dallas, TX). His writing has recently been published in Southwest Contemporary, the Holt/Smithson Foundation, Nasher Magazine, and Burnaway.