Open until January 31 at the Wexler Gallery in Philadelphia, JUXTAPOSED: A PORTAL TO AFRICAN DESIGN is the first extensive solo exhibition of Jomo Tariku, a renowned Ethiopian-American artist and furniture designer. It is a true journey guiding viewers through the world of African design, drawing from the deep roots that inspire the designer’s work.
As a co-founder of the Black Artists + Designers Guild, Jomo Tariku, previously featured on WeVux, actively supports designers of color on a global level. His designs are part of the permanent collections of prominent museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Some of his pieces have furnished the home of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris at the Naval Observatory and have been featured in films like Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The goal of this exhibition is to communicate the deeper meaning of the objects and cultures that inspire my work and fuel my creative process… With this exhibition, I want to celebrate the past and the present, contributing to a positive cultural experience and advancing the dialogue on design by developing a new creative language rooted in Black culture. Jomo Tariku
Exploring his three-decade-long creative process and presenting new designs that merge past and present techniques, the exhibition will display Tariku’s modern pieces alongside historical objects that have influenced them. His famous Meedo Chair will be exhibited next to an Afro comb wall sculpture, showcasing the duality of the comb’s purpose, both as a hair grooming tool and as an iconic symbol of beauty during the Black is Beautiful movement of the 1970s.
The exhibition features 29 works, eight of which are debuting for the first time. Among them stands out the striking Meedo wall sculpture, a monumental piece approximately 7 meters tall that captures the essence of merging ancestral forms with modern materials and techniques, crafted by Tariku.
If you are in Philadelphia, don’t miss the opportunity to visit the Wexler Gallery and the exhibition JUXTAPOSED: A PORTAL TO AFRICAN DESIGN, on display until December 20, 2024. For more information, visit the gallery and designer’s websites, and follow their Instagram pages @jomotariku @wexlergallery.