Ima Mfon
Untitled 09

Untitled 09

© 2015, Ima Mfon

Untitled 09
Untitled 09
ArtistNigerian, born 1989
CultureNigerian
Titles
  • Untitled 09
  • from the series Nigerian Identity
Date2015, printed 2017
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 19 15/16 × 19 7/8 in. (50.7 × 50.5 cm)
Sheet: 21 15/16 × 21 7/8 in. (55.8 × 55.5 cm)
Mount: 22 × 21 15/16 in. (55.9 × 55.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of the artist and Rick Wester Fine Art, Inc.
Object number2017.312
Not on view

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Object Type
Description

When Ima Mfon moved from Nigeria to the United States, he
was troubled that his culture was subsumed into a broad racial category of
Blackness and pegged with erroneous stereo- types. “I use a plain background to
eliminate any cultural or ethnic context,” he said. “Viewers are not allowed to
place these subjects in the expected settings, whether of urban disrepair or
African wilderness. I want to contest the predictable ‘National Geographic’
approach to peoples who may be unfamiliar to the photographs’ viewers.” The
sparse images are powerful meditations on ethnicity and identity, and reveal
the importance of deeper cultural understanding.




ProvenanceThe artist; Rick Wester Fine Art, New York].
Exhibition History"Through an African Lens: Sub-Saharan Photography from the Museum's Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 27–November 8, 2020.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Printed in black, verso of mount, applied label: Ima Mfon // Nigerian Identity: Untitled No. 09, 2015 // Gelatin Silver Print, 2017 // 20 x 20 inches // Edition 1/5

Signed in black ink, verso of mount, applied label.
Signed in black ink, verso of mount, applied label.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

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