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The Timeless, Ancient Language of Art | Wangechi Mutu | TED

Using found materials and mesmerizing structures that unearth deep-rooted emotions, Wangechi Mutu’s visual creations explore and celebrate women’s role in our collective history. From ancient rock carvings in the Sahel to her own chimeric abstractions, she shares her journey of self-discovery and reminds us all that we already speak the most ancient language of all:…

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Using found materials and mesmerizing structures that unearth deep-rooted emotions, Wangechi Mutu’s visual creations explore and celebrate women’s role in our collective history. From ancient rock carvings in the Sahel to her own chimeric abstractions, she shares her journey of self-discovery and reminds us all that we already speak the most ancient language of all: art.

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36 Comments

36 Comments

  1. Laika

    May 22, 2023 at 12:29 pm

    The Sufi poet Rumi said: “Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.”
    What would it feel like to walk through the world draped in gratitude?
    It can start the second you wake up in the warmth of your bed. It could be a fond memory or a sensation, like the coolness of water flowing down your throat as you drink.
    Put on your own cloak of gratitude. It is an almost-magical tool on your Fabulous path. Only you will know it is there. Give it a little tug every now and again. No one will see. But watch, as it changes your life.

    • 劉敦立

      May 22, 2023 at 12:33 pm

      Ha ha

    • yunusa usman

      May 22, 2023 at 12:40 pm

    • Blessed Bees

      May 22, 2023 at 12:44 pm

      @Laika that is very beautiful, thank you

  2. Alice Ivy💦

    May 22, 2023 at 12:29 pm

    Awe-inspiring journey into the mesmerizing depth of art!

  3. THE AVENGERS

    May 22, 2023 at 12:29 pm

    Nice another Ted

  4. ناديه احمد

    May 22, 2023 at 12:35 pm

    وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى (1) وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّى (2) وَمَا خَلَقَ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأنْثَى (3) إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّى (4) فَأَمَّا مَنْ أعْطَى وَاتَّقَى (5) وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَى (6) فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَى (7) وَأَمَّا مَنْ بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَى (8) وَكَذَّبَ بالْحُسْنَى (9) فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَى (10) وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّى (11) إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَى (12) وَإِنَّ لَنَا للْآخِرَةَ وَالْأُولَى (13) فَأَنْذَرْتُكُمْ نَارًا تَلَظَّى (14) لَا يَصْلَاهَا إِلَّا الْأَشْقَى (15) الَّذِي كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّى (16) وَسَيُجَنَّبُهَا الْأَتْقَى (17) الَّذِي يُؤْتِي مَالَهُ يَتَزَكَّى (18) وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِنْدَهُ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ تُجْزَى (19) إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ الْأَعْلَى (20) وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَى (21) هنيا لمن لديه غدا هنيا لمن لديه عشاء ياتي المغرب ونحن ننضر من الذي يعطينا عشاء ياتي الفجر ونحن ننتضر من يعطينا لقمة العيش هاذا رقمي لمن اراد ان يساعدنا 00967713306681 نستقبل يومنا بالعبرات والدموع حزناً على والدنا المتوفي عليه رحمة الله وحزناً على حالنا اللذي عايشين وحزناً علا بيوتنا الذي تشردنا منها بسبب الحرب يا اخوني ارحمونا حتى بقيمة حبه زبادي انضرو الا حالنا ارحمونا وتعاونو معنا ادخلو الفرحه الا قلوبنا الله يفرحكم بالجنه اعتبرونا مثل اولادكم هل ترضون لاولادكم ان تشوفوهم بهاذا الحال الذي احنا فيه كل وقت وكل يوم وصاحب البيت يدق علينا الباب يشتي الاجار حقه ولا يخرجنا الا الشارع علينا اجار 4 اشهر كل شهر 14الف الان صارت متخرات علينا 56 الف من این ندفع له الاجار واحنا ليس معنا احد غير الله واهل الخير اليوم الغدا حقنا عند الجيران وغداً من اين لنا ماتت الانسانيه من قلوب البشر اصبحنا لا احد ينظر الينا ويمد لنا يد العون اسالكم بالله تنضرون الا حالنا وتساعدنا اخوني الذي بيساعدنا لوجه الله هاذا رقمي واتساب 00967713306681يراسلني اعطيه الاسم الكامل والعنوان الله يجزيكم خيررا😢.ا،😢’$…… ..

  5. Xeonophon

    May 22, 2023 at 12:46 pm

    white culture is the best.

  6. Blessed Bees

    May 22, 2023 at 12:52 pm

    Art, to me, expresses what words cannot. And speaks differently to each person. That is why we need more artists. It seems that art is not as abundant as it once was. I wonder if it is because people can not see art with their spirit anymore because of what is happening in the world today, so many distractions. Or if artists are forgetting how to speak with their hands……
    Either way, or both ways, we are in great need of artists, now more than ever.

    • DuckieMcduck

      May 22, 2023 at 6:19 pm

      Expression through art is not intrinsic, it is incidental, otherwise there would be no commercial art. The observer and consumer of art must project their own self, their own experiences – understanding of the world and emotions, onto the art, and from that they get something reflecting back at them. Whether the artist meant to say something or not is irrelevant to the value of art to cultures and why it’s appreciated.

    • P. B. Foote

      May 22, 2023 at 7:29 pm

      @DuckieMcduck Yep.

  7. Mikki and Abbi

    May 22, 2023 at 12:53 pm

    Now this is the kind of art that really have you thinking beyond surface thoughts. Each of us with our own interpretations

  8. Sofi Love...

    May 22, 2023 at 2:27 pm

    Art my second name sister:D But I think their imagination more better than ours…

  9. P. B. Foote

    May 22, 2023 at 2:46 pm

    Art is best when undiscussed.

    • Dawn Davidson

      May 22, 2023 at 5:18 pm

      Huh. Interesting, then, that you chose to discuss this art that she shared (to make a comment in this video), about the art she created.

    • P. B. Foote

      May 22, 2023 at 7:22 pm

      @Dawn Davidson Sorry, but I just don’t enjoy hearing artists talk about their work, work that really should speak for itself. Even less appealing are talk show appearances that quickly devolve into chit chat about pets or, ugh, children. It’s like learning how the sausage is made! Still, it’s also “interesting” to read your comment about my comment about her comments about an artist’s work, her own, of course. Lastly, I adore Aubry Plaza, so I couldn’t help myself, but I already regret viewing today’s Vanity Fair piece. It’s that sausage again. Yep, she rewatches and comments on HER own work. You too, Aubry? Jesus, where does it all end? Lie Detectors?

      Do forgive me for having opinions and the temerity to express them here in this hallowed place.

    • B

      May 23, 2023 at 4:15 am

      @P. B. Foote you sound so immature it’s insane

    • Dawn Davidson

      May 23, 2023 at 6:53 pm

      @P. B. Foote hahaha. No, of course you get to comment in “this hallowed place”! I just found it a bit ironic from my perspective. As well as getting increasingly meta by the comment! 😂Personally, I’m glad to have seen her presentation. I wouldn’t have known about her work otherwise. And I think it’s gorgeous.

  10. robin robinrobin ledford

    May 22, 2023 at 3:13 pm

    ART TEACHES LIFE, JOSHUA DANIEL BISHOP aka JB JACKSON gA. 🎉😊

  11. 1goldinga

    May 22, 2023 at 3:42 pm

    Art died when everyone got indoctrinated by media and school. Our structures have no artistic value anymore. We build it weird shaoes and add glass and metal to achieve a look. Everything else is bland and even houses are just cookie cutter. People dont even pick a personalized color for their new cars. Just select one of the pre picked colors. Every decision is ore selected for us. Every design made to be cost efficient and mass producable. We have given aeay everything….everything for convenience. Now what we have left we will give away for safety and convenience that can never be guaranteed. Man the coming years are going to be rough.

    • 1goldinga

      May 22, 2023 at 11:44 pm

      @DuckieMcduck also wth do you want kid. We have different opinions what are you trying to prove here. Do you think you will win the internet if your right….go about your night kid and enjoy it. Maybe check out some of that art you speak of….

    • Sareaesque

      May 23, 2023 at 3:55 am

      @1goldinga if you think art is dead, you’ve been walking around with your eyes closed

    • B

      May 23, 2023 at 4:16 am

      and you think… school?… caused that?

    • 1goldinga

      May 23, 2023 at 7:04 pm

      @Sareaesque I can literally take a video of Hamilton Ontario. We have statues and art installations but if I was to just be walking around unless I’m downtown then no…there is no art. The buildings are plane. The houses are cookie cutter. The cars look the same. I don’t know what artsy city you live in or why you think you know my city (clearly you do not). But take your accusations with you and good day.

    • 1goldinga

      May 23, 2023 at 7:06 pm

      @B partially. Or are you under the impression that the rockefella created and distributed curriculum is to make well rounded creative individuals and not workers?

  12. Angel Corazon

    May 22, 2023 at 5:16 pm

  13. Dawn Davidson

    May 22, 2023 at 5:16 pm

    Thank you. Thank you for the art, and thank you for sharing your journey with us. I am glad your deities were watching over NY and the world during the pandemic. What a perfect reminder of where all of us came from, and where our future can be.

  14. The Sound Lab

    May 22, 2023 at 5:43 pm

    Key insights

    🎨 Art is an ancient language that communicates across time and culture, reminding us of our origins and the importance of representation.
    💪 Wangechi Mutu’s art challenges societal views of the female body and its worthiness, divinity, and belonging.
    🎨 Art can be a powerful tool for addressing and healing from historical traumas and injustices.
    🎨 Art can be a powerful tool for communication and imagination, especially in times of oppression and censorship.
    🎨 Wangechi Mutu’s art is a way of creating order and grace, while also being alluring and otherworldly.
    🎨 Wangechi Mutu’s art celebrates the resilience and diversity of African women, shaped like old trees, anthills, coral reefs, and the Great Rift Valley.
    🌍 Art has the power to transcend time and space, carrying messages of identity and memory across oceans and generations.
    🌍 Our roots in Africa, where art originated, connect us to our first journeys and remind us to take care of the vessel that connects us all.

    • P. B. Foote

      May 22, 2023 at 7:26 pm

      Art can also be a urinal on display, so there’s that.

  15. Anderson Belo Mangueira

    May 22, 2023 at 6:56 pm

    I am more 100 milhons campang

  16. The Jack Diamond Acting Studio

    May 22, 2023 at 7:57 pm

    Breath taking living creativity in every way. Thank you for sharing your journey.

  17. Anthony Criss

    May 22, 2023 at 10:03 pm

    Romans 8:38-39 “for i am persuaded that neither life nor death, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

    Jesus Loves you, Confess that you are a sinner to God and that you have sinned. apologize and Repent of your sins which means to have sincere regret and remorse for you sins and to turn away from them truly, Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

  18. 7th Fish

    May 23, 2023 at 7:00 am

    Best trash talk. From art to feminist

  19. B. Barbin

    May 23, 2023 at 9:42 am

    The art is profound, and more importantly to me is the artist’s heartfelt sincerity in describing her creations. I am an artist, too, but certainly not of her caliber; however, I hope to one day enrich lives as she has for mine today!

  20. Kanchan M.

    May 23, 2023 at 12:21 pm

    Wow, that’s really deep and meaningful ❤

  21. NeDNeV IN NALAGER In NatSERp es On LeroJoTa LE LAK

    May 24, 2023 at 9:49 pm

    Taschen- Wőrterbuch chçiteueD [̲̅⁠$̲̅⁠(̲̅⁠ ͡⁠ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ⁠)̲̅⁠$̲̅⁠]

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