We all come from fire and at the same time we are made of fire. What would home be without the warmth of a fire, a cooker or the plate of food that awaits you when you get home after a day of navigating discomfort and contradictions? Not that that plate of wata fufu and eru, ekwang or roasted peanuts with freshly baked bread can solve everything, but at least you can fill your stomach and then the world seems a little better. Hopefully, the plate is not waiting for you alone and you can eat with a mother, sister, daughter, neighbour or friend and nourish yourselves together. Because nourishing is more than eating and sharing with others is caring.

This installation, designed expressly for this exhibition, is conceived as a space to be experienced and enjoyed. Through objects that catalyse her identity, the artist seeks to transport us to her own universe, where issues such as Afro-descendence, ancestry, self-representation, the everyday and family memories are at the centre. It is not a work to be contemplated, but an invitation to sit at the table and enjoy the space in the way we want to. 

Author: Agnes Essonti Luque

Agnes Essonti Luque (Barcelona, 1996) is an Afro-Spanish artist who lives and works in Hospitalet de Llobregat. Like a return to her roots, her work translates into a constant journey. She undoes for her memories; she needs to go back as a nourishing food that sustains her art and her life. 

With a solid academic background - including photography studies at KCC in London, a postgraduate degree in Black Peoples' Culture and Thought, and a Masters in Photographic Project Development at Blank Paper - his line of work has focused on themes such as identity, race and ancestry. His pieces are catalysts of a research process that he sustains through media such as photography, video and performance, and in which he has found the possibility of recording, configuring and (re)constructing his own memories. 

His work has been exhibited at the Rencontres de Bamako Biennial, the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Rafael Botí and the Dakar Biennial of Contemporary Art.

Collaboration: Mango+Okra

Aknowledgements: "To all the SM team for the opportunity, to my family and friends for accompanying me and to my ancestors for guiding me at all times". 

Activations of the piece:

20.10 / 19h: Identitats. Com construïm la llar quan ens sentim lluny de casa nostra? / Agnes Essonti 
11.11 / 19h: 11.11 Cures. Qui està sostenint les nostres vides  / Agnes Essonti 
02.12 / 19h:  Habitatge. Altres maneres d'entendre, viure i reivindicar la llar / Agnes Essonti