Social Fabrics: Magic & Memories
As Rele celebrates its 10th anniversary and prepares for Frieze Los Angeles, we are proud to present Social Fabrics: Magic & Memories, a landmark exhibition featuring artists Shinique Smith and Marcellina Akpojotor. Through vibrant textiles and mixed-media works, both artists transform found fabrics into evocative embodiments of culture, history, and self-expression—revealing the power of cloth to carry personal stories, collective memories, and even the spiritual residue of human experience.
Los Angeles–based Shinique Smith brings a complementary yet distinct perspective with her dynamic sculptures and paintings informed by found textiles, calligraphy, and collage. Having grown up amid fashion and later influenced by the global journeys of cast-off garments, Smith compresses, binds, and embellishes surplus clothing and fabric. Her monumental “bales” and assemblages address complex intersections of consumer culture, social inequity, and the intimate memories woven into every thread.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Marcellina Akpojotor mines her familial and cultural heritage to explore themes of womanhood, identity, and empowerment. Her richly layered collages and textile-based portraits incorporate African print “Ankara” fabric—fragments often sourced from local tailors—which she meticulously arranges to highlight the resilience and aspirations of women across generations.
By uniting these two visionary artists, Social Fabrics: Magic & Memories underscores the potent ways textiles serve as conduits of ancestral knowledge, cultural histories, and imaginative possibility. Both Akpojotor and Smith layer personal stories, global references, and transformational processes—turning humble scraps into creations that speak to shared humanity and the alchemy of art. Their practices reveal how cloth can bridge continents and generations, bearing witness to interwoven lives while illuminating unseen forces of magic and wonder.
Marking Rele Gallery’s 10th anniversary, Social Fabrics: Magic & Memories exemplifies the gallery’s continued mission to champion cutting-edge African and Diasporic art, expand cross-cultural narratives, and deepen meaningful engagement with local and international communities.