"The End of Carrying All, the animation, which can be considered a sequel to her first animated video “The End of Eating Everything” shows the horror of how Wangechi Mutu sees the world ending..."
"A world consumed by desires, innovations and endless materialism. In a journey that started with few basic items – mainly the tools that are used to feed their families, as many African women still do on a daily basis..."
© Wangechi Mutu, all rights reserved
© Wangechi Mutu, all rights reserved
"Mutu’s woman walks the earth while collecting more than was necessary with every step of the passage. Eventually, engulfed by the weight of all she’s acquired, she mutates into lava and erupts..."
Breakdown for the growth of the head basket.
Early concept sketch for the silhouette of the head basket.
Sketching out the evolution of the head basket into the 'Blob'
Animation breakdown ideas for the 'Blob'
Early Concept for the 'Blob'
"The explosion ripples through the earth, absorbing her and all she carried along. Ultimately everything goes back into the earth: “earth to earth, ashes to ashes”..."
"Alongside the didactic lessons, Mutu enhances her narrative in the video with symbolic features like the Baobab tree, which outlives many generations of women, and Flamingo birds flying off, carrying no possessions at all but are still beautiful and free. Still the most important players are the woman, through whose womb all life comes, and the earth itself, whose womb takes it all back. Including oil rigs, high rise buildings, wheels, etc. which were carried on the woman’s shoulder. The eruption at the end of the animation is also a warning in line with this year’s Biennale theme. It points at the results of unbridled capitalism that leads to natural disasters as a result of industrial pollution and encroachment of humans beyond the boundaries of natural order.
As such Mutu’s magnificent exhibition at the Biennale gives food for thought: what is, or should be, the role of women in this race of capitalism towards the apocalypse?"
by Bukola Oyebode, WANGECHI MUTU’S APOCALYPTIC VISUALS FOR THE WORLD’S FUTURE