ART BASEL HONG KONG 2025

For our participation at Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, Retro Africa is proud to present "Held By  Love, Bound By Faith," a selection of works by Samuel Nnorom.  

Samuel Nnorom's practice is a powerful exploration of human connection, love, and faith. Through his art, he seeks to spread love and faith, recognizing the interconnectedness of our  individual identities and collective experiences. Inspired by Christ and materiality, Nnorom's  works are an act of worship, speaking life into the world around us. 

At the center of his practice is the Ankara fabric, deeply rooted in West African daily life. Nnorom harnesses the vibrant palette and patterns of pre-loved scraps to create abstract  pieces that blur the lines between sculpture and tapestry. His large-scale works, comprised of  hundreds of fabric-covered "bubbles," symbolize our individual identities and collectively form  a "social fabric" that binds us together. 

Nnorom's use of fabric bubbles represents the containers of life, holding ideas, secrets, values,  and beliefs. Like the female reproductive system, these bubbles encapsulate the universal  human condition, encompassing survival, struggle, protection, love, and value. By stitching  together African Wax Print fabric bubbles, Nnorom symbolizes strength, secrecy, influence, and  power, capable of restructuring any social construct. 

Through his art, Nnorom delves into the politics of our globalized society, creating magnifying  mirrors of contemporary issues. His works invite us to discern the interconnected landscapes,  urban structures, organic cells, or endless mazes that shape our world. 

As we gaze upon Nnorom's works, we are left to ponder, what would happen if we embraced  our differences as the very threads that strengthen the fabric of our society?

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