Nana Buluku by Zak Ové
“I use the medium of Masquerade, of celebratory ritual, to create a link between the past and the present in heralding African culture. I re-trace diasporic lineages to honour the stolen rituals, faiths and beliefs, that were taken and dispersed, banned and denied by enslavers. There is no future without the past. To create a new future, it is imperative to remember who we were.”
I have created a representation of Nana Buluku, an African Queen, an Afro-futurist deity and a celebration of the history of African culture. Standing at 11 metres tall, she is positive and colourful. Her embodiment is mythic yet futuristic, unashamedly Black and beautiful. She is Black Pride.
According to West African tradition, once Nana Buluku returns to earth, she is the mother of all deceased people. It is believed that she accompanies them during their journey to the land of the dead and prepares their souls to be born again.
Nana Buluku is richly decorated. Veve and Adinkra symbols form her watery wave skirts and lower circular benches. African sculptures circle her waist and above sit a ring of regal Oba Benin Bronze torsos shrouded by upturned boats. A necklace of clenched fists, the iconic symbol of African resistance, sits below a Mende mask facing both the future and the past. It is adorned with a filigree halo inscribed with protective symbols. Built in steel with cast resin details, Nana Buluku is internally lit, providing her with a glowing life-force throughout the night.
Satellite artwork and engagement
The satellite site markers are single structures that act like weathervanes. Each will feature a set of arms on an elegant pole which will turn with the wind. The symbols and markers on the various arms echo the main sculpture through their symbolism and design. Though the vane's arms turn in the wind, they never give a true reference point, constantly turning East back to Africa and the journey of the diaspora to the West, to the past and also to the future.
Nana Buluku could act as a gateway for schoolchildren and communities to explore the references and heritage behind the memorial. Through workshops, children could use the various symbols as a starting point for creative exploration and discussion.
For the general public, major new events could be created that celebrate leading Black cultural figures such as Claudia Jones, founder of Notting Hill Carnival, and reviving John La Rose’s Black Book Fair literary event.
Meet the artist: Zak Ové
Zak Ové is a British-Caribbean artist inspired by the history and lore of the African diaspora, with a particular focus on traditions of masking and masquerade as tools of self-emancipation. His artworks are a celebration of the power of play, using the spirit of imagination to blur the edges between reality and possibility. He develops opportunities for the re-telling of histories from fresh perspectives to imagine the future into the fantastical.
He has produced large-scale artworks for public and private commissions. His large-scale installation, The Invisible Man and The Masque of Blackness has been shown across the UK and west coast USA. He also curated the acclaimed exhibition, Get Up Stand Up Now: Generations of Black Creative Pioneers, London, 2019.
Selected public artworks:
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Jumbie Jubilation Notting Hill, London 2024
- Abeba Esse, Chelsea Flower Show, London, 2024
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The Mothership Connection, Frieze, London 2023
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Moko Jumbie Art Gallery Ontario 2021
All images by Zak Ové.
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