Global Muses
About the exhibition
Global Muses curated by Laura Day Webb stands as a tribute to the resilience, innovation, and boundless creativity of female artists across the globe.
Curated by Laura Day Webb
Laura Day Webb is committed to amplifying the voices of artists who have often been marginalized or overlooked. With a Masters in Art Business from Sotheby's Institute of Art, she currently serves as Gallery & Institutional Relations Director, Americas for Angus Montgomery Arts.
Artists 07
Artists 07
Works 19
About the exhibition
Curator
Laura Day Webb
Dates
10 Oct 2024 - 03 Jan 2025
Global Muses curated by Laura Day Webb stands as a tribute to the resilience, innovation, and boundless creativity of female artists across the globe. Featuring a diverse array of works by Ayobola Kekere Ekun, Azzah Sultan, Djeneba Aduayom, Pamela Enyonu, Sarah Francis, Soumya Netrabile, and Umseme Uyakhuluma, the exhibition celebrates the expansive scope of their artistic expression and the myriad mediums through which they channel their vision.
At its core, the exhibition spotlights female artists represented by female gallerists or working independently within a supportive community of women, reflecting a conscious effort to address the imperative for greater visibility and equal representation within the art sphere. This initiative also serves to delve deeper into the dynamic interplay within this women-centric ecosystem, captured through filmed dialogues between artists and gallerists, offering insight into their symbiotic relationships and mutual inspiration.
With its curated selection of artworks, multimedia elements, and a steadfast commitment to inclusivity, Global Muses aims to ignite inspiration, provoke engagement, and foster a renewed dedication to an art world that flourishes through its rich tapestry of diversity and collaborative spirit.
Laura Day Webb
Laura Day Webb is committed to amplifying the voices of artists who have often been marginalized or overlooked. With a Masters in Art Business from Sotheby's Institute of Art, she currently serves as Gallery & Institutional Relations Director, Americas for Angus Montgomery Arts.
As the Editor of Friend of the Artist, a publication renowned for its juried volumes spotlighting emerging artists worldwide, Day Webb plays a pivotal role in showcasing a wide array of talents. Her independent curatorial endeavors prioritize non-Western artists, with a particular emphasis on women.
Previously, as Director of the cultural hub High Line Nine Galleries and Development Director for The Immigrant Artist Biennial, Day Webb has demonstrated her dedication to fostering inclusive artistic spaces. Her journey in the art world began with the founding of La Doyenne, a demi-couture womenswear line that explored the intersection of art, fashion, and technology.
In addition to her commercial endeavors, Day Webb is co-founder of the non-profit organization Cura Collective, dedicated to uplifting communities facing adversity through support of local women-led initiatives. She further demonstrates her commitment to the arts through active engagement with nonprofit organizations such as Save Venice and The Winter Show.
Azzah Sultan
About the artist
b. 1996, Malaysia
Azzah Sultan received her BFA from Parsons School of Design and her MFA at Washington State University. Born in Abu Dhabi, Azzah is a Malaysian native who grew up in Malaysia, Saudi, Finland, Bahrain and has spent six years living in America working on her artistic practice. Currently Azzah is based in New York City. She has exhibited her work at The New School, Parsons Paris Gallery, S.A.D. Gallery, The Bushwick Collective, BUFU Studios, The Ely Center, Sotheby’s Institute, Blackfish Gallery, Chase Gallery, Terrain 12, KMAC Gallery and was a panelist for Muslim Women Reclaim Their Identities at Amherst College, MA and a guest lecturer at Chautauqua Institution, NY. Before starting her masters she worked as a graphic designer at the Islamic Art Museum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She is currently the Artistic Director at Raise Karma. Her work strives to transcend the fallacy that Muslim women are oppressed by the nature of their religious customs. Her work also speaks on the issues about navigating her identity through culture and immigration.
Works presented in Global Muses...
Azzah SultanPlease let my mother go, 2021-22
Azzah SultanMak, don’t talk like that., 2021-22
Azzah SultanWait for me!, 2022
Umseme Uyakhuluma
About the artist
South Africa
Umseme Uyakhuluma: A celestial conversation is a collaborative and experimental body of work that aims to explore the power of
the connectivity and duality that exists in different realms of existence and their subjective realities. The project delves deep into the
idea of communication and what that means for physical and non-physical spaces. “Umseme Uyakhuluma” directly translated is “the
straw mat speaks”. It refers to one of Africa’s oldest methods of recording information using grass, which is an endlessly renewable
source of material under historic land usage conditions. The project further looks at the reinterpretation of Bantu symbol writing, which
is a form of ideography, that has evolved into a form of steganography. This coded language was used in various parts of the continent
to communicate sacred messages.
This type of communication is preserved today in the Ndebele tribe, amongst others in Africa, called “Umgwalo”. The project parallels
this with the historical significance of the use of cowry shells on the continent, honouring their divine importance in African spiritualism
and treating them as the messengers of the non-physical space explored in the project.
The core collective is made up of creative director Zana Masombuka, aka Ndebele Superhero (producer, art director and actress);
Lafalaise Dion (producer, actress and costume designer, including notably for Beyonce’s ‘Black is King’ and ‘Spirit’) whose work with
cowrie shells has been incorporated symbolically into the project; Tsholofelo Maseko (producer, art director and actress), a familiar
face from integral South African television shows and films; Mapula Lehong (sound designer and editor) a SAFTA award-winning
sound designer and multi-hyphenate whose poetry features in Zanele Muholi’s SomnyamaNgonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness; Boipelo
Khunou (videographer) a multidisciplinary artist and founder of archival platform BOTAKI KE BOTSHELO which merges education and
the curation of creativity from Africa; and Bontle Juku (photographer), a visual artist and conceptual photographer whose work
explores narratives and sociopolitical discourse surrounding the Black body. The core team were supported by a larger cast and crew
of women of all ages.
Works presented in Global Muses...
Umseme UyakhulumaUmseme Uyakhuluma XXVIII, 2021
Umseme UyakhulumaUmseme Uyakhuluma XXVII, 2021
Pamela Enyonu
About the artist
b. 1985, Uganda
Pamela Enyonu (b. 1985) is a Ugandan multimedia artist based in Kampala. Her practice probes identity, history, and gender complexities. In 2018, Enyonu received the inaugural Makumbya Musoke Art Prize. Since then she has workshopped, exhibited and done residencies in Africa, Europe and the UK, notably Africa 1:1 in Venice and the DKC Residency at University of York (both 2023).
Her work was featured in museum exhibitions such as Ca’ Pesaro Museum Venice (2023) where she confronted the idea of home in and as a foreign body for the first time. This not only enriched her experience on what it means to thrive as a black body moving through the world, it also enhanced her visual vocabulary. Her work was also featured at Makarere University Gallery, Kampala (2023), Wolfsburg Museum (2022), as well as Africa 2020, Marseille (2021). Enyonu’s work is part of notable public and private collections, including the University of York collection (UK), Moleskine Foundation (Italy), Valmont Foundation (Switzerland), and Ca’ Pesaro Museum (Italy).
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 - Ateker, ijasi biyayi? - Greetings from the road (A dedication), The Summit Residences, Kampala, Uganda
2023 - Kopotu Ipikosi, Akka Project Dubai, UAE
2020 - Seat At The Table - Curators Art Grid, Virtual.
2017 - Ego Precis- Extracts of Awareness - 32 Degrees East Kampala, Uganda
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023, 05 - Ca’ Pesaro Museum and Gallery of Modern Art. Venice, Italy 2023, 03 - Njabala This Is Not How, MUK Gallery, Kampala, Uganda 2022, 09 - Empowerment Exhibition - Wolfsburg Museum, Germany 2021, 05 - Africa 2020 - Marseilles, France
2021, 03 - Deus Ex Femina, Akka Projects Dubai, UAE
2020, 09 - East Meets East -New Gallery Artists' Jerusalem, Israel
2019, 09 - RIAC Les Artelier SAHM + French Institute Brazzaville. Congo 2019, 08 - Future Africa Visions in Time - MUK Gallery. Kampala, Uganda
SELECTED RESIDENCIES
2023, 09 - DKC Residency - CAHR - York University, UK
2023, 03 - Africa 1:1 Residency - Venice, Italy
2022, 10 - Lost + Found + Pro Helvetia Research Residency, Switzerland 2022, 09 - African Identities - Akka Project Venice, Italy
2021, 08 - Lost and Found East Africa Soul Train, Virtual
2021, 05 - Africa 2020 Marseilles, France
2020, 01 - KAN Pan African Festival - Arusha, Tanzania
COLLECTIONS
University of York Permanent Collection
Ca’ Pesaro Museum - Venice I Have a Dream Moleskin Foundation, Vienna Italy
Imago Mundi - Italy
Africa First Collection - Israel Akka Collection - Venice / Dubai Valmont Foundation
PRIZES
Winner. Mukumbya Musoke Art Prize 2018. Title – ‘Bwino’
Works presented in Global Muses...
Pamela EnyonuAwomomo (Thinking in a New Language), 2024
Pamela EnyonuAbokun awomisiot (Digging out ideas), 2021-2023
Pamela EnyonuAput (A Likeness), 2022
Ayobola Kekere Ekun
About the artist
b. 1993, Nigeria
Ayobola Kekere-Ekun (b. 1993) is a contemporary visual artist. She was born in Lagos, Nigeria. Her B.A. and M.A. in Visual Arts were received from the Department of Creative Arts, University of Lagos, where she majored in Graphic Design. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Art and Design at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Ayobola’s work often explores subjects connected to gender, mythology, memory, and trauma. It is created through a labour-intensive process and is heavily informed by personal experiences and observations.
Ayobola works predominantly with a technique known as quilling, in which strips of paper are individually shaped to create forms. She tends to quill with a variety of materials that respond well to the technique, including ribbons and strips of canvas. She constantly experiments with new ways of exploring materials and their capabilities. Ayobola views the intricacy of her work as a visual metaphor for the complexity of the subject matter she engages with.
Works presented in Global Muses...
Ayobola Kekere EkunPortrait of Another Life II, 2024
Ayobola Kekere EkunPortrait of Another Life III, 2024
Sarah Francis
Sarah Francis is an artist working across sculpture, paint, installation and digital photography, often combining these elements to create staged landscapes, tableaus both live and photographed, that poke at the relationship between author (Francis) and viewer. Francis’ practice is foremost about writing her own story; she’s engaged in an ontological, sculptural process of reveal; a staged, palpable, and generously shared study and exploration of self – of, in Francis’ words, ‘how I made me’.
Francis’ practice weaves through past habitats, relationships, loved companions – and grief; with one central drive, to survey, search for, locate the self; to come to understand the acts of masking and framing that have shaped her neurodiverse and queer identity – and all the questions of consent and access that impact upon it and drive the impulse to self-determine, self-author.
Works presented in Global Muses...
Sarah FrancisThis Against, 2024
Sarah FrancisRays Again, 2024
Sarah FrancisHeld in Pink 2, 2024
Soumya Netrabile
About the artist
b. 1966, India
Mining memories from daily walks in nature, Soumya Netrabile’s works emerge from the phantasm of a breeze, the record of a cosmic wrinkle. Within flaming forests of green, amber, and peach, real space dissolves into mists of tenderness enfolded in mountains of longing. Occasional animals or figures appear from scrawled yet intentional flickering brushwork: haloed, dwarfed by their swirling surroundings.
Netrabile is a painter who thinks like a poet, using paint to suggest something larger, something deeper, sharper, enchanted, bewitching. Formal choices, light, color, and gesture, emerge from internalized locations beyond logic and justification. It’s her familiarity with her subject which allows her to unlock profound memories of being enveloped in nature’s canopy onto canvas and the simultaneity of all these elements compressed onto one surface.
Returning to the studio with these embodied memories, Netrabile emphasizes direct experience and intimacy rather than portals and vistas; show, don’t tell. Poetic and metaphysical connections are the result of steady drips of daydreams, painterly transmissions through a method of sustained focused noticing, one that is transformational, precise, and open.
Soumya Netrabile (b. 1966, Bangalore, India) received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University. Recent solo exhibitions have taken place at Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA; Gana Art, Seoul, Korea; Pt.2 Gallery, Oakland, CA; Andrew Rafacz, Chicago, IL; and The Journal, New York, NY. Netrabile has exhibited in group exhibitions at galleries including Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA; Rachel Uffner, New York, NY; Trinta Gallery, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Indigo + Madder, London, UK; and Karma, New York, NY. Netrabile’s work has been acquired by public collections including Orange County Museum of Art, Costa Mesa, CA; Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA; and University Club of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Netrabile lives and works in Chicago, IL.
Works presented in Global Muses...
Soumya NetrabileA Cow In The Garden, 2024
Soumya NetrabileThe Lost Slipper, 2024
Djeneba Aduayom
Djeneba Aduayom is an emerging fine art photographer whose work is marked by a sense of movement, performance and personal interrogation. She came to photography after a successful dance career touring with international stars, and four years of interior design study in London. Her aesthetic is as much influenced by her multi-disciplinary training and extensive travel as it is by her multi-cultural heritage, which includes French, Italian and Togolese. A self-taught photographer, Aduayom’s is also known for her portraiture and editorial work, which has appeared in magazines like TIME, The New-York Times, Vogue Hong Kong, The Washington Post…
She is currently based in Southern California.
Works presented in Global Muses...
Djeneba AduayomLe Peigne from the series Kisanola, 2018
Djeneba AduayomBlack Gold, from the series A Fleur De Peau, 2018
Djeneba AduayomTendre Vulnérabilité, from the series A Fleur De Peau, 2024
Djeneba AduayomA Fleur De Peau, from the series A Fleur De Peau, 2024
Edition 4+2AP
"Rendered in a palette of blue, greens and yellows with figures depicting transient experiences, the work is part of a group of my long term projects which I work on periodically. Everytime I learn something new I try it on one of my ‘monalisas’, 2 or 3 projects I am slowly working on. Officially beginning in 2021, the work attempts to study 3 things: 1) How to prime a secondhand cotton fabric into a canvas robust enough to handle a continuous tactile process of working. Towards the middle of 2022 is when I figured out the right proportions for a matt non-cracking finish. 2) Building layered narratives. The material offers a diverse range of storytelling opportunities. Each layer offers multiple entries into the work. 3) The work studies textures both applied and markmade. It was definitely an exercise in restraint."
“My figurative expressions are a negotiation between styles often favoring a deskilled approach to rendering the body. Aput and two others were made around the time I was thinking about composition and balance. There was an active meditation on ratios and weights."
"It is an artwork coming from my recent body of work exploring my Ugandan history and self-understanding. So far the project has given birth to The exhibition “Ateker, ijasi biyayi? - Greetings from the road (A dedication)”, a homecoming for me, showcasing my works in my first solo exhibition in the country.
The work is a translation of multiple influences including a black and white flat coiled basket currently hanging on my wall, time spent in Venice working with the Ca Pesaro Museum Permanent Collection where Paul Chagall’s Praying Jew was on display.
It is a multi-layered exploration of the ethics of knowledge or intelligence translation. It questions the translator’s responsibility towards Care in Witness."
1920 × 1080
16:9
Edition 4+2AP
Edition 4+2AP