A black and white river covered the farthest wall behind a miniature empire. Heavy applause bounced off the walls like drops in a rainstorm. People with greying hair and fidgeting kids all locked eyes as they gathered in the Robert McLaughlin Gallery.
Ekow Nimako and his black LEGO sculptures sat at the centre of it all.
Toronto-based artist Ekow Nimako brought “Building Black Civilizations: 2,000 Ships” to the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG) in Oshawa.
The exhibit is a reimagining of the mysterious 14th century sea voyage of Mansa Abu Bakr Ⅱ, who fled the Mali Empire and took 2,000 ships with him into the Atlantic Ocean.
Mansa Abu Bakr Ⅱ and those 2,000 ships were never seen or heard from again.
“He’s really looking at Black histories, and he’s looking at Black Afrofuturism. And all of that in a medium that is so accessible,” said Alix Voz, the chief executive officer at RMG.
Each piece combines ancient African mythology and history, one of which is an intricate city in the form of a snake, drawing from Akan spirituality and a place for the dead. Asamando imagines a final destination for Mansu Abu Bakr Ⅱ.
Nimako gave an artist talk at the RMG on Feb. 7, to discuss the exhibit and answer questions about his creative process.
“I’ll sketch things out, but most times, it’s just getting my hands in the material, and learning from the material as I go along,” said Nimako.
He described a focus on the empire and world building but used design decisions to show the importance of figures. He does this in Bay of Banjul, creating a tall central point to emphasize Mansa Abu Bakr Ⅱ’s throne.
“I do love the shape of something cascading and laying down. There’s something that kind of soothes my soul architecturally when I see that,” said Nimako.
Featured in the exhibit was a shelf of books referencing LEGO and Afrofuturism. This included Beautiful LEGO by Mike Doyle and Jamaica Ginger by Nalo Hopkinson.
Artist and author Janette Platana visited the exhibit three times before attending the talk. She said she didn’t play with LEGO as a child but was inspired by Nimako’s creations.
“We didn’t play as kids. It was for boys and when it was for girls it would be all flowers and stupid,” said Platana.
After exploring Nimako’s work she saw LEGO as an “undeniable” art form.
She said the exhibit inspired her to form an “old lady LEGO” group in Peterborough where women her age get together and create structures based on mythology.
Nimako has multiple LEGO exhibits, including Building Black AMORPHIA: Spiritual Starships, which is available at the Harbourfront Centre until Aug. 31.
“Building Black Civilizations” will be at RMG until Feb. 15.