{"id":213,"date":"2026-07-09T17:33:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T17:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kartdiskuss.com\/blog\/?p=213"},"modified":"2026-07-09T19:11:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T19:11:00","slug":"cutting-through-history-blackness-memory-and-the-search-for-being-in-the-artworks-of-dominic-james-aboi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kartdiskuss.com\/blog\/index.php\/2026\/07\/09\/cutting-through-history-blackness-memory-and-the-search-for-being-in-the-artworks-of-dominic-james-aboi\/","title":{"rendered":"Cutting Through History: Blackness, Memory, and The Search For Being in The Artworks of Dominic James Aboi"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Faida Samuel <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contemporary art often serves as a space where history, memory, and identity meet. In Histories on Scissors: The Black Essence on the Map of Being, Dominic James Aboi invites viewers into a visual conversation about the historical experiences of Black people and the ways those experiences continue to shape contemporary life. Through a body of mixed-media works executed with animal skin, canvas, acrylic, fabric, and other found materials, Aboi explores questions of belonging, identity, survival, spirituality, and historical memory. Although trained in literature, Aboi’s movement into visual art does not represent a departure from storytelling. Instead, it extends it. Aboi approaches the canvas much like a writer approaches the page. His works are embedded with symbols, historical references, philosophical reflections, and social commentaries. Each artwork becomes a visual text through which viewers are encouraged to reflect on the past and its continuing influence on the present. The title of the exhibition introduces one of its central concerns. “Histories on Scissors” suggests acts of cutting, separation, division, and reconstruction. The phrase recalls the creative process of Henri Matisse, who famously used scissors to cut shapes from coloured paper. Yet Aboi transforms this artistic reference into a broader historical metaphor. The scissors become symbols of colonial power, recalling the arbitrary partitioning of Africa during the Berlin Conference of 1884\u20131885. Borders were drawn, territories divided, and communities separated without regard for existing cultural, ethnic, or historical realities. What was cut was not merely geography; it was also identity, memory, and systems of belonging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This idea of cutting extends throughout the exhibition. It appears not only as a historical event but also as an ongoing condition. The exhibition suggests that the effects of colonial divisions continue to influence contemporary social, political, and economic realities. Histories are cut, identities are fragmented, and communities are often forced to negotiate inherited structures that continue to shape everyday life. Through his works, Aboi revisits these histories and asks viewers to consider how the past remains present. Therefore, at the centre of the exhibition is the concept of Black essence. Rather than treating Blackness as a fixed identity, Aboi presents it as a lived experience shaped by history, struggle, resilience, creativity, and continuous self-definition. His works explore how Black identities have been formed within systems that often sought to define, classify, and limit them. Yet the exhibition is not solely concerned with oppression. It is equally concerned with endurance, survival, and the ability of people to create meaning despite difficult historical circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This concern becomes particularly significant through Aboi’s use of animal skin, as such material plays a crucial role in contemporary art, and in Aboi’s body of works, the material itself becomes part of the message. The use of animal hide introduces immediate associations with the body, protection, vulnerability, and identity. Skin functions as both a physical surface and a symbolic boundary between the self and the world. Historically, skin colour has often been used as a marker through which people have been categorised, judged, included, or excluded. By incorporating animal skin into his works, Aboi transforms a familiar material into a metaphor for the social, political, and historical meanings attached to Black bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition also reveals the Aboi’s interest in spirituality and human consciousness. Titles such as Royal Priesthood, The Spirit in Sound, <\/em>and The Middle Message<\/em> suggest a search for meaning beyond material existence. They point towards questions of faith, identity, communication, and the unseen forces that shape human experience. Here, spirituality operates not simply as religious belief but as a means of understanding existence itself. His works encourage viewers to see how identity is formed not only through history but also through values, beliefs, and cultural memory. Other titles, including Your Errors Are Correct <\/em>and Be About It<\/em>, introduce another important aspect of the exhibition. They suggest reflection, transformation, and personal responsibility. Rather than presenting history as something distant or completed, Aboi calls viewers to examine their own position within contemporary realities. The exhibition asks how individuals respond to inherited histories and how they contribute to shaping future narratives. See plate one for Be About It<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Perhaps one of the most compelling aspects of Histories on Scissors is its ability to move between the personal and the collective. While the exhibition addresses large historical questions, it also speaks to individual experiences of identity and belonging. It reminds viewers that history is not only found in archives, monuments, or official records. It also exists within bodies, memories, languages, cultural practices, and everyday experiences. In this sense, the exhibition becomes both historical and humanly inclined. Aboi’s contribution is significant because he approaches these concerns through a multidisciplinary lens. His background in literature enriches the conceptual depth of the works, while his visual language allows complex ideas to be communicated through form, texture, material, and symbolism. The result is a gamut of work that encourages both intellectual engagement and emotional reflection. Overall, Histories on Scissors: The Black Essence on the Map of Being is an exhibition that explores the themes of remembering, questioning, and reimagining. It examines how histories of division continue to shape contemporary realities while also affirming the resilience and creativity that emerge from those experiences. Through mixed media, symbolism, and material experimentation, Dominic James Aboi transforms the gallery space into a site of reflection where viewers are invited to consider not only the history of Blackness but also the broader human search for identity, dignity, and belonging in an ever-changing. Enjoy the exhibit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Faida Samuel Contemporary art often serves as a space where history, memory, and identity meet. In Histories on Scissors: The Black Essence on the Map of Being, Dominic James Aboi invites viewers into a visual conversation about the historical experiences of Black people and the ways those experiences continue to shape contemporary life. Through a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exhibition-reviews","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kartdiskuss.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kartdiskuss.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kartdiskuss.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kartdiskuss.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kartdiskuss.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kartdiskuss.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":219,"href":"https:\/\/kartdiskuss.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213\/revisions\/219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kartdiskuss.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kartdiskuss.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kartdiskuss.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kartdiskuss.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}