Stux Gallery is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of new works by Sokari Douglas Camp, CBE, “Dressed to the Nines”. Sokari is the 2005 recipient of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). Renowned for her powerful, monumental steel sculptures that address political themes that link her to her native land of Nigeria, her effortless integration of African aesthetics is instinctive rather than driven by Piccaso-esque fascinations, and her works can be compared to those of Nick Cave, Antony Gormley and Yinka Shonibare. Her new sculptures continue her provocative thesis with tender yet boldly visceral visions of the post-colonial world, and introduce daily lives of African immigrants in the West as a new subject.

Inspired by her observations of Pentecostal Londoners who outfit extravagantly to secure husbands and business partners as well as violence against Christians in Nigeria, “Jesus Loves Me” is vibrantly celebratory at its core. Pronouncedly influenced by the African art idiom, these sculptures are made from raw, blank shiny steel that is completely naked except a painted portrait of Jesus and some bold, hip eyewear. Their postures are casual and liberated, but also delightfully robotic like knights enclosed in ill-fitted armor. The ancient notion of religion and the ephemeral yet striking powers of fashion are united to illustrate a phenomenon that highlights the body and traditional beliefs as immovable centers of society.