Ekene Ijeoma
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Born 1984, Fort Worth, Texas; lives in Boston, Massachusetts and Brooklyn, New York
Wage Islands: Immigrants, 2017; acrylic, ink, water; 18 x 3 x 18 inches
For Ekene Ijeoma, data about low-wage immigrant workers informs his poetic project, Wage Islands: Immigrants – 2017. A topographic map of New York City is submerged under dark blue water. The various elevations are based on median monthly housing costs. The peaks above water show where this demographic can afford to live.
The subject of salary disparity is not one of the issues that receives a great deal of attention, like climate change or health care, but plays a huge part in stratifying society. By transforming the impersonal data into interactive sculptural form, Ijeoma is creating an alluring entry point for deeper discussion.
Ekene Ijeoma is an artist, professor at MIT, and founder/director of the Poetic Justice group at MIT Media Lab. Through both his studio and lab at MIT, Ijeoma researches social inequality across multiple fields including social science to develop artworks in sound, video, multimedia, sculpture and installation. Ijeoma’s work has been commissioned and presented by art institutions including Contemporary Art Museum of Houston, The Kennedy Center, Museum of the City of New York, Neuberger Museum of Art, and Annenberg Space for Photography. Ijeoma’s practice has also been supported by grants, fellowships and residencies including Creative Capital, Map Fund, Wave Farm, The Kennedy Center, and New York Foundation for the Arts.
Images courtesy of the artist
