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Josèfa Ntjam
Wisdom (bas relief 3), 2024

Photo: © Piercarlo Quecchia
Josèfa Ntjam
Collection

Aluminum, paint
130 x 90 x 10 cm
TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection


Wisdom is part of Josèfa Ntjam’s fantastical bestiary, a universe where mythological figures from West Africa converge with the underwater world. This hybrid realm blends submarine creatures—plankton, plants, microorganisms, and bacteria—with ancestral spirits, giving rise to new aquatic deities and a renewed mythology of the waters.

The figure of Wisdom draws inspiration from the griot, a revered figure in West African culture. 
As storytellers and guardians of communal memory, griots preserve oral histories, bridging past and future through their narratives. Ntjam also references plankton—fragile yet omnipresent life forms—and the Nommo, ancestral water spirits from Dogon mythology in Mali, who embody the origins of the cosmos and fundamental forces of creation.

In her practice, Ntjam combines traditional and technological methods, starting with collage and photomontage before advancing to 3D modeling and computer-assisted sculpture. This synthesis allows her to reinterpret ancestral imaginations through contemporary tools. Wisdom emerges as part of an animal ark that reimagines myths, spirits, and stories—both honoring the past and envisioning a transformative future.

Through her digital mythological universe, Ntjam introduces the concept of “futuristic ancestry,” a non-linear temporality where the past and future intertwine. By using digital technologies, she connects with ancestral knowledge while challenging dominant historical narratives. Glitches, imperfections, and system breaches become conduits for reclaiming erased voices and submerged histories.

Wisdom invites viewers on a journey through the historical ruptures of the Black diaspora, raising submerged stories from the ocean’s depths. These narratives not only offer healing and reconciliation but also envision new futures, where memory and imagination converge to create alternative horizons.
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