Artist Statement
Ivbieva was created during the inaugural LagosAtlanta: Sister City Rising residency to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Atlanta’s Sister City status with Lagos, Nigeria. The title means “twins” in the Edo language of Southern Nigeria, and the steel sculpture literally depicts twin sisters, bonded and intricately connected.
In her artistic practice, Idahor engages hair as a signifier of femininity and a repository for genetic code. In this manner, Ivbieva not only represents the sisterhood between the two women figures —Atlanta and Lagos — but also the generations they embody, with hair forming a halo of interconnected ancestral history.
The artist frequently situates women subjects in natural environments to further foreground themes of reproduction and progeny associated with the feminine, and Ivbieva ‘s intentional location along the lushly wooded Westside Trail is envisioned as an extension of the installation.
Artist Bio
Taiye Idahor is a contemporary artist interrogating identity, family histories, and the expectations and contradictions of performing femininity. Based in Lagos, Nigeria, the draftswoman, multimedia collagist, and sculptor has exhibited locally and abroad, with works in permanent collections such as the Princeton University Art Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and Zeitz MOCAA. She studied fine art at the Yaba College of Technology, where she graduated with a Higher National Diploma (HND) in sculpture.